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February-March 2025 Test Drive Meme
February-March 2025 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 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.
🦊 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 Emotional Effects, Trapped in a Location, Potential Forced Sharing, Potential Violence, Potential Death-like Experience
New Star Children arrive as motes floating in light to land on a bar stool, in a booth, or in a chair at a table in a dimly lit bar. It's a lonely place of few patrons and a sole proprietor: a red fox… or a woman in a red sweater and autumnal colors. Blink and she will remain what someone first saw. There's little decor in the place, mostly plain polished simple wood, but there are more dark corners than anyone can count. Tucked into those corners, under tables, and anywhere else vaguely discreet are plain weapons: guns, daggers, swords, and the like. Empty and still as the bar may be, that 'decor' may rouse suspicions, among veterans and newcomers alike.
Those already in Folkmore will find an entrance to the bar whenever and wherever they feel lonely, perhaps missing someone in particular. A half-hidden door will appear pressed between buildings in Epiphany, built into a hill in Willow, etched into the bark of a grand tree, and so on and so forth. Once patrons have entered the bar, the exit fades away into the background. It doesn't seem to have disappeared entirely, so much as always being just out of sight, around a corner, hidden in shadows, or otherwise out of reach. Looking for it, or trying to leave already, will bring the proprietor's attention to a Star Child, and she'll ask them to place their order.
She's hardly received any requests for drinks. What's missing more than anything else in the bar are patrons. Anywhere from thirty to a hundred people might fill the bar to capacity, but there's no more than a handful of other people present at the moment. What fills the rest of the place to the brim are shades. Born of Lore and regret, these spectral spirits start off thin and wispy, but they feed on the loneliness, regret, and other negative emotions people bring with them.
The longer people stay, the more shades crowd around them and feed on those emotions; the more solid, colorful, and real they appear. Not only that, the shades take on the appearance of those tied to someone's regrets: those they miss, those they've hurt, or those they've failed in some way to help. On the other hand, Star Children dim, lose color, and fade. Their energy and their ability to care what happens to them drain away to strengthen the shades surrounding them. Tempting as it may be to drown one's sorrows with drinks, that course is a dangerous one. Fade away long enough, and Star Children risk turning into shades themselves—and losing themselves into being someone else's regrets. If a Star Child turns into a shade, their shades rapidly fade back to their original ghostly form and seek out their next source of energy.
The way to quiet these ever-hungry ghosts is simple: connection with the living. Ordering a drink or greeting someone will grant a brief reprieve. Speaking with someone at length holds the shades at bay. Speaking about one's regrets? No matter whether Star Children receive simple commiseration or an objective, grounding response that suggests a path towards personal growth on the subject, the interaction will cut the connection with the shade, and it will fade away. Should that shade be a recently-faded Star Child, they solidify in their seat, a real and solid person with the chance to connect again.
There's more than one way to form a connection, so whether it's a newcomer who'd rather fight than talk or an old hand who knows weapons lying around come with a catch, patrons who pick up a weapon (or two) and fight each other's shades together can also vanquish them. But beware: taking up arms to fight sends one's own shades into a frenzy, surrounding their patron and draining them faster. There's no requirement to aid each other, and others can ignore what terrible end comes to that person… but if they regret failing to help? That lost person becomes their new shade. Better hope someone's more helpful and generous of spirit then.
Anyone who makes a solid connection with another bar patron will find that they can see the exit. Freedom, at last. Furthermore, when settling their tab, the bartender passes one last item over—an object from home, tied somehow to one of their regrets, even just the simple regret that it hadn't come along for the Star Child's original journey to Folkmore because it'd be so useful now. This item may even be a weapon or magical item.
New Star Children arrive as motes floating in light to land on a bar stool, in a booth, or in a chair at a table in a dimly lit bar. It's a lonely place of few patrons and a sole proprietor: a red fox… or a woman in a red sweater and autumnal colors. Blink and she will remain what someone first saw. There's little decor in the place, mostly plain polished simple wood, but there are more dark corners than anyone can count. Tucked into those corners, under tables, and anywhere else vaguely discreet are plain weapons: guns, daggers, swords, and the like. Empty and still as the bar may be, that 'decor' may rouse suspicions, among veterans and newcomers alike.
Those already in Folkmore will find an entrance to the bar whenever and wherever they feel lonely, perhaps missing someone in particular. A half-hidden door will appear pressed between buildings in Epiphany, built into a hill in Willow, etched into the bark of a grand tree, and so on and so forth. Once patrons have entered the bar, the exit fades away into the background. It doesn't seem to have disappeared entirely, so much as always being just out of sight, around a corner, hidden in shadows, or otherwise out of reach. Looking for it, or trying to leave already, will bring the proprietor's attention to a Star Child, and she'll ask them to place their order.
She's hardly received any requests for drinks. What's missing more than anything else in the bar are patrons. Anywhere from thirty to a hundred people might fill the bar to capacity, but there's no more than a handful of other people present at the moment. What fills the rest of the place to the brim are shades. Born of Lore and regret, these spectral spirits start off thin and wispy, but they feed on the loneliness, regret, and other negative emotions people bring with them.
The longer people stay, the more shades crowd around them and feed on those emotions; the more solid, colorful, and real they appear. Not only that, the shades take on the appearance of those tied to someone's regrets: those they miss, those they've hurt, or those they've failed in some way to help. On the other hand, Star Children dim, lose color, and fade. Their energy and their ability to care what happens to them drain away to strengthen the shades surrounding them. Tempting as it may be to drown one's sorrows with drinks, that course is a dangerous one. Fade away long enough, and Star Children risk turning into shades themselves—and losing themselves into being someone else's regrets. If a Star Child turns into a shade, their shades rapidly fade back to their original ghostly form and seek out their next source of energy.
The way to quiet these ever-hungry ghosts is simple: connection with the living. Ordering a drink or greeting someone will grant a brief reprieve. Speaking with someone at length holds the shades at bay. Speaking about one's regrets? No matter whether Star Children receive simple commiseration or an objective, grounding response that suggests a path towards personal growth on the subject, the interaction will cut the connection with the shade, and it will fade away. Should that shade be a recently-faded Star Child, they solidify in their seat, a real and solid person with the chance to connect again.
There's more than one way to form a connection, so whether it's a newcomer who'd rather fight than talk or an old hand who knows weapons lying around come with a catch, patrons who pick up a weapon (or two) and fight each other's shades together can also vanquish them. But beware: taking up arms to fight sends one's own shades into a frenzy, surrounding their patron and draining them faster. There's no requirement to aid each other, and others can ignore what terrible end comes to that person… but if they regret failing to help? That lost person becomes their new shade. Better hope someone's more helpful and generous of spirit then.
Anyone who makes a solid connection with another bar patron will find that they can see the exit. Freedom, at last. Furthermore, when settling their tab, the bartender passes one last item over—an object from home, tied somehow to one of their regrets, even just the simple regret that it hadn't come along for the Star Child's original journey to Folkmore because it'd be so useful now. This item may even be a weapon or magical item.
- New Star Children arrive in a dim, mostly empty bar.
- Kuma Lisa is the bartender, in fox or human form.
- Shades feed on Star Children's negative emotions, draining them, and taking the appearance of people they miss.
- Connection is how Star Children ward off shades. Talking about regrets makes one safe from shades.
- Star Children can also take up weapons and fight shades. It sends your shades into a frenzy.
- Star Children can turn into shades if they are fed on long enough. When others connect, it can de-shade them to try again.
- Those who form connections can see the exit and leave. They also get an item from home related to one of their regrets.
Content Warnings: Forced Relocation, Forced Body Modification, Forced Conversation/Revelations
Not every bottle in the bar is full of alcohol, a mixer, or even a far weirder spirit. They don't contain Folkmore's spirits at all; Kuma Lisa has skipped straight to bottling Star Children. Each bottle contains a single Star Child, and the label's design reflects what they might taste like, were they alcohol. Those inside experience a soft place to sit and reflect on their lives surrounded by thick glass walls that permit light through while distorting the view into indistinct shapes. There's no way to break the glass from within, and no way to tell which bottles are for bar service and which bottles contain Star Children from without. There's no way to signal someone outside to provide a direct rescue, but never fear: there is a simple way out.
Everyone inside the bottle has their Relic, even if they usually don't have it on their person. Sitting in this round or round-esque room with no exit, messages about missing someone begin to be exchanged—the first message each Star Child sends ghost-written (rather than willingly sent) about someone they miss, and signed 'the true thoughts and feelings of one [Star Child].' As advertised, the message is true. It also resonates with the recipient, some similarity between them and the missed person. Perhaps it can be the start of a beautiful friendship (or the world's most awkward exchange, but who's counting?). At least the Star Child behind this message is predisposed to like something about the recipient, however grouchy their exterior. If a conversation goes well, a system message will pop up asking each person if they would like to talk face-to-face. Should they both agree, they are poured out of their bottles to land safely on the garnish in a drink. The drink isn't massive. The Star Children are tiny!
That's right, these tiny Star Children float on a garnish-raft in a cocktail at the lonely Bar None above. They have a nice umbrella to provide them shade, and it's all set for a cozy conversation if they so wish. As these tiny Star Children talk, the drink around them will show related memories reflected on the surface. These reflections stick around until the conversation is over or someone, preferably someone with a bigger stomach, drinks it. Spills continue to reflect memories and cannot be mopped up so much as cleanly pushed into a fresh glass. A larger patron cannot drink the tiny Star Children. Kuma Lisa will stop anyone drinking from a glass with Star Children still on it.
Star Children who decide that 'no, they shall not discuss this matter after all' may attempt to flee, but being an inch or so high has its own problems. The bar is massive, the shades may become violent, and they are but a small, small person. Even those who can normally shapeshift or alter their size find they cannot make themselves any bigger! At the end of the day, whether with their original partner or another tiny Star Child, the only way to get bigger is to be the bigger person… and talk about those feelings.
Star Children who remain tiny by closing time, whether they stay locked in their glass prison or scattered around the bar, will be tucked back into bottles (as needed) and those bottles laid gently on their sides, which reorients the space inside to a tiny bedroom. Each bottle warms to the temperature to help its resident sleep comfortably. Larger patrons join them. Kuma Lisa shrinks any larger patrons who cannot leave and deposits them safely in bottles away from the shades. No one is missed, so there is no free rein in the bar overnight. Bedtime (bar) snacks will be provided, as well. The bartender takes good care of her patrons regardless of their size, with the only damper being that one remains in a bottle to hope for better results the next day. Star Children can take as much time as they need. Kuma Lisa is patient.
Not every bottle in the bar is full of alcohol, a mixer, or even a far weirder spirit. They don't contain Folkmore's spirits at all; Kuma Lisa has skipped straight to bottling Star Children. Each bottle contains a single Star Child, and the label's design reflects what they might taste like, were they alcohol. Those inside experience a soft place to sit and reflect on their lives surrounded by thick glass walls that permit light through while distorting the view into indistinct shapes. There's no way to break the glass from within, and no way to tell which bottles are for bar service and which bottles contain Star Children from without. There's no way to signal someone outside to provide a direct rescue, but never fear: there is a simple way out.
Everyone inside the bottle has their Relic, even if they usually don't have it on their person. Sitting in this round or round-esque room with no exit, messages about missing someone begin to be exchanged—the first message each Star Child sends ghost-written (rather than willingly sent) about someone they miss, and signed 'the true thoughts and feelings of one [Star Child].' As advertised, the message is true. It also resonates with the recipient, some similarity between them and the missed person. Perhaps it can be the start of a beautiful friendship (or the world's most awkward exchange, but who's counting?). At least the Star Child behind this message is predisposed to like something about the recipient, however grouchy their exterior. If a conversation goes well, a system message will pop up asking each person if they would like to talk face-to-face. Should they both agree, they are poured out of their bottles to land safely on the garnish in a drink. The drink isn't massive. The Star Children are tiny!
That's right, these tiny Star Children float on a garnish-raft in a cocktail at the lonely Bar None above. They have a nice umbrella to provide them shade, and it's all set for a cozy conversation if they so wish. As these tiny Star Children talk, the drink around them will show related memories reflected on the surface. These reflections stick around until the conversation is over or someone, preferably someone with a bigger stomach, drinks it. Spills continue to reflect memories and cannot be mopped up so much as cleanly pushed into a fresh glass. A larger patron cannot drink the tiny Star Children. Kuma Lisa will stop anyone drinking from a glass with Star Children still on it.
Star Children who decide that 'no, they shall not discuss this matter after all' may attempt to flee, but being an inch or so high has its own problems. The bar is massive, the shades may become violent, and they are but a small, small person. Even those who can normally shapeshift or alter their size find they cannot make themselves any bigger! At the end of the day, whether with their original partner or another tiny Star Child, the only way to get bigger is to be the bigger person… and talk about those feelings.
Star Children who remain tiny by closing time, whether they stay locked in their glass prison or scattered around the bar, will be tucked back into bottles (as needed) and those bottles laid gently on their sides, which reorients the space inside to a tiny bedroom. Each bottle warms to the temperature to help its resident sleep comfortably. Larger patrons join them. Kuma Lisa shrinks any larger patrons who cannot leave and deposits them safely in bottles away from the shades. No one is missed, so there is no free rein in the bar overnight. Bedtime (bar) snacks will be provided, as well. The bartender takes good care of her patrons regardless of their size, with the only damper being that one remains in a bottle to hope for better results the next day. Star Children can take as much time as they need. Kuma Lisa is patient.
- Star Children are transported into a bottle at Bar None with their relics.
- Ghost-written messages start conversations between bottled Star Children about people they miss.
- Star Children who agree to talk about it in person get poured out safely onto a garnish in a cocktail. The cocktail reflects related memories.
- Star Children can get up to chaos when tiny but cannot grow or escape. The only way to get big is to be the bigger person (and talk).
- Star Children, large and small, who cannot leave by closing time are returned (or kept) in bottles. Bottles are turned sideways, have bedrooms, and bar snacks are provided.
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[ Ugh. Can he keep his mouth shut for a minute? ]
I know that doesn't make me a villain. The problem is that I can't do that. It's unethical! It's like the first thing they teach you in hero school. Probably. I don't know. I didn't go but...I assume they teach you that! Don't sleep with villains!
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[ Dabi gave him a good long look. Is he being serious right now? Apparently so. This wasn’t a line - he’s seen him do his thing on TV, this was completely different. ]
Not that I’d turn you down. Would anybody?
[ But apparently that was just barely personal enough that he, too, could finally see the door. ] Thank fuck.
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[ He follows Touya's gaze and nudges him lightly. ]
Let's get out of here. [ Hawks gets to his feet and moves beyond the shades, heading for the door first. He walks in a way that doesn't show his entire back to Dabi - he's not stupid, but this also doesn't hide the black tailfeathers from him either. ]
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[ But he wasn’t there to give the guy a pep talk. He stood up so he could follow him out of the creepy bar. If Dabi stared at his tail feathers a bit - nobody had to know. ]
If we’re walking somewhere with more ghosts, I get to see if they’re flammable.
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[ Hawks laughs and they wind up outside. He stretches his arms above his head. ]
I live up in Never Fade, in the cloud colony. I've got a windmill for an apartment. All of the homes here are free, you just claim a vacant one and move in. Our conversation has given you probably enough spoon currency to eat for the next month. Food isn't expensive.
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[ He rolled his shoulders as he stepped outside, getting a good look around. Super weird. ]
[ Dabi smirked. ] Sounds like a nice place to crash for a while.
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Guess I need to keep a close eye on you, so you behave. I'm pretty sure we have to fly up there. If you're not afraid, that is.
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Pfft. Why the hell would I be afraid of a little bitty flight?
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[ He's not really intending on babysitting him too hard. Dabi is free to live his life, but if he starts lighting up this world, he'll have to deal with the business side of his primaries. ]
Come here then, I'll carry you. I'm fast, as you know.
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[ Dabi debated telling him about his tendency to get motion sick, but then figured if the bird was really that rough with flying - it’d be a fun surprise for them both. ]
[ Quipped; ] You take some things slow enough.
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[ Hawks scoops his hands under Touya's arms and with some strong flaps he takes off up into the air. Fortunately he's very steady in holding him. ]
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[ Hawks caught him by surprise, that’s all! It’s fine. Really fine. If he lost a shoe he’s going to singe a feather. ]
[ He’s definitely reaching up to try and hand on somehow, though! ]
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That could've been on the table. Maybe next time. I'm sure there's some other way people get to Never Fade, but I'm faster.
[ And he is, Hawks will be there in about no time at all. ]
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[ By the time they’re in Never Fade, Dabi was a lot paler and greener, but he didn’t lose his lunch. ]
[ It helped that they flew over some of the wildest scenery. What the hell is this place? His ears swiveled in curiosity. ]
This your nest, then, chicken? Your roost?
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Hawks lands on the ground, instead of using the entrance at the top of his windmill. He sets Dabi down carefully, letting him find his footing. He unlocks the door and flips on a light.
The door leads right into what is a massive bedroom, making up the entirety of the bottom floor. It's got a huge, circular bed that's got a padded lip around the back half. It could make for a very nice nest, but all Hawks has on it is a single pillow and a thin sheet. There's a walk in closet and a dresser, but the decor is pretty minimal. The ceiling has a large hole off to the side, almost like there were stairs there at one time but there aren't any now. ]
Living room is on the third floor.
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[ But it’s winter, and look at that bed. Was the bird just a hot sleeper? Dabi decided not to mentally go down the route of innuendo there right then. Hawks wasn’t cold resistant, he’s pretty sure he bitched about it. Whatever. He kept looking around. ]
So you’re saying I’m gonna need to level up my parkour skills to get anywhere here.
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I guess I could put the stairs back in. [ Lazy bird. ]
[ Fortunately, he just needs his spoon to do it, and like magic a set of stairs appears. ]
Come on. [ Well that works for that floor anyway. Hawks climbs the stairs. The second floor is the bathroom. He's got a massive infinity pool to bathe in, with a huge shower. This room is far more luxurious looking. A little nook to use the toilet, but Hawks even has a little cabinet for warming towels. Everything is pristine and nice, bright, well lit. It's all big enough to accommodate his wings. The hole is on the opposite side of the room, which means he needs to bring the stairs back there too. ]
no subject
[ He let out a low whistle when they’re on the next level - ] Shit, birdie. You really don’t know how to slum it, do you? And here I thought you were low on whatever talking currency they’ve got here when I saw your sorry blankets down there.
no subject
[ Hawks smirks lightly but leans against the counter, letting Dabi look around while he gets the other stairs back into place. ]
I can't have blankets. Anyway. Come on.
[ Further up the stairs, this floor is smaller, of course it is because it's a windmill. There are massive windows for about 2/3 of the space, and he's got a huge sectional, low backed couch, with a nice coffee table, a TV and a series of book shelves on the back wall that are empty. Of course Hawks doesn't have time to read. At least, he doesn't think so. The tones in here are grey and white, with warm orange and red accent cushions. There's another thin sheet folded up and draped over one arm of the couch.
The stairs are again on the opposing side. ]
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[ He looked around in the living area, too - the windows and the view were nice. Still. ] You've got to decorate a little, magpie, I thought you liked shiny things.
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[ He might like shiny things, but he also knows better than to start collecting them. Last thing he needs is some kind of weird bird hoard.
Hawks climbs the stairs up to the next floor, it's smaller again, this time with a small table with two chairs, half the space occupied by cabinets that are empty in his kitchen. Everything seems to follow the roundness of the tower.
If one looks up at the ceiling it's completely open except for a ledge which makes for some very good perching. There is no intended space for a staircase, but there's a hole that one could have a ladder in. Hawks doesn't bother with that - why would Dabi want to do that?
It doesn't impede the light because the final floor above that was rather roost-like was all windows, letting the light into the kitchen without trouble. ]
no subject
[ A large fluffy blanket covered with yellow baby chicks would appear on that round bed - a bright blue blanket folded on the couch. ]
[ He'll have to think of random shit to decorate Hawks' apartment to annoy him later. ]
[ In the kitchen, he'd pocket his spoon and then peer around. Open a cabinet. ]
Shit. Don't spend time here enough to feed yourself, either. Or do you just wave your thing around every time you need some KFC?
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I usually eat out. I don't know how to cook, so...
[ He has the grace to look a little bit embarrassed about that. ]
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[ He smirked at him. ] Still gonna give you shit for it.
That complete my tour, then?
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[ This place is actually bigger than his Commission-owned apartment. ]
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