June-July 2025 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

June-July 2025 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 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]

Pirates of the Loreibbean . ★

Content Warnings:

Old wood creaks and groans, barely audible over a howl of wind. Wet droplets of rain hit faces and soak into clothing. Clouds overhead are a murky gray, blocking out the sun. Though summer weather is often somewhat temperamental, a true storm has now hit. Both newly arrived Star Children and veterans may find themselves in the midst of this situation quite abruptly, standing on the unsteady deck of an old, grand ship. Those who run to the nearest rail and peer overboard may be shocked to discover a stark absence of water below. Instead, the view just goes down… and down… The land of Folkmore lies far below, as this ship is flying through the storm, its sails struggling to hold under the force of whipping winds. There is no captain, there is no helmsman- there is no crew at all to be found, only fellow Star Children. And yet… the ship is still moving full speed ahead through the storm, as if it has a destination in mind.

A resounding boom echoes, and those with a keen gaze may just spot something whizzing past, missing the ship by a hair. Was that… a cannonball?

Just like that, a second vessel weaves its way out of a deck of gray clouds, pulling up side by side to the ship the Star Children are on. Lightning flashes, illuminating a whole bunch of sneers across the way, along with some eye patches, bandanas and goggles. Sky pirates are attacking! It's clear from their animalistic features that they're local spirits, but they're hardly as benevolent as those typically seen in Folkmore.

Ready yourselves, Star Children!

Those who wish to return fire will find several cannons lined along the ship's deck, ready to be used. These don't work just like any old artillery, though. In place of those unwieldy metal balls, one must load magic into these cannons. Lore, to be precise! It even says so on a small metal plaque, attached near the firing mechanism: "Connection is one's true ammunition." Find a fellow Star Child and start chatting! The more meaningful the conversation, the grander the magic ball one may blast at the pirates with the cannons.

Unfortunately, the cannons alone are not enough to fight off the pirates, as several of them swing their way aboard with ropes. (Or just fly, if they're bird spirits.) Star Children can head down into the armory below deck to grab a weapon. Yes, even weapons from home (or items that can be improvised weapons) are available, and may be kept after the fight is over. Star Children capable of flight may even be daring enough to make their way to the enemy's ship and deal some real damage over there.

The ship continues to shake and creak and bob in the storm, which may complicate the fight, but not all is lost. There, in the distance, up ahead… A beacon of light flickers, struggling to be seen through the thick clouds. What is that?

• Star Children (new and old) find themselves aboard a grand wooden ship, flying through a storm. Yes, literally flying!
• Sky pirates attack! They're just the local spirits, but a rowdy bunch nonetheless.
• Use conversation to load up a cannon with Lore energy, then blast it at the pirate ship.
• Alternatively, grab a weapon (possibly from home) from your ship's armory and start swashbuckling.
• Star Children can keep one (1) weapon/item from home and other basic weapons.

So Said the Lighthouse Keeper. ★

Content Warnings:

Other Star Children, both new and old, may find themselves drawn to the floating island of Never Fade. Up here, in the clouds, the storm rages just as fierce, and the native spirits all share the same worry: the lighthouse is broken. Indeed, up on the highest hill of Never Fade stands a towering white spire, its beacon dimmed. 'A ship is coming in at any moment', the spirits all whisper. 'And there's reports of pirates in the area, too. What will we do?'

The goats which are quite common in Never Fade join forces to guide Star Children up the hill towards the lighthouse. And if not guiding, then dragging, chompers clenched around the fabric of sleeves or pant legs as they pull. The rain does not slow, but the wind thankfully blows uphill. Best to just go along with it, so you can go take shelter from the storm inside the enormous spire building, because the goats won't leave you alone otherwise.

Just outside the lighthouse stands a very curious cat. It's so large, it's almost the size of a pony, and its fur is black. No, white. … No, it's black, isn't it? (It really depends on what mood it's in.) Karma the cat peers up at any approaching Star Children with knowing eyes. It dashes inside the lighthouse for a second, then reappears with an envelope in its mouth, holding it out for the newcomer to take. Careful- the paper might get wet in the rain! Come stand under the awning or inside the house as you read:

"The lighthouse keeper is on vacation. Please help! The beacon needs to be charged. We need positive energy to power the light, and negative energy to rotate the lens. Be nice or be mean, both are good! :)"

Are you up for the task, Star Children? Then stay in the lighthouse's near vicinity, or go right on up to the beacon, and do as Karma asked: Either compliment your fellows, or insult them. Share fond memories with one another, or commiserate on how terrible this situation is. Both pleasant conversation and nasty confrontation will do the job. Before long, the light springs to life and the great glass lens begins to rotate around it, a majestic beam of light revolving outward from the spire, piercing the dark clouds.

Those who wait around will see it: that great big wooden ship which comes flying towards Never Fade's docks to make port there. … Is that a hole in its side? And a cutlass sticking out of the mast? Confusion may make way for relief, as all the Star Children aboard disembark, surely bursting with a great tale to tell. Elated spirits bring out the hot soup, bread and all other hearty comfort foods to celebrate the successful arrival. Time to celebrate! Or raid the armory for a free weapon from home, if you haven't gotten one yet- with an emphasis on one, because Karma the cat will attack anyone who got greedy, be it now or during the earlier voyage.

• Star Children who weren't taken to the ship may instead have been drawn to Never Fade, where the storm rages just as fiercely.
• Goats guide Star Children towards the lighthouse, which is broken. Karma the cat awaits them there.
• In order to get the lighthouse beacon working again, it must be charged with both positive and negative energy. Engage in either pleasant or hostile conversation with a fellow Star Child to help out!
• Once the lighthouse is up and running, the ship from the first prompt will dock at Never Fade, uniting all the Star Children for a great celebration.
• The ship's armory is still available for a free weapon (possibly from home), but anyone who got greedy and tried to take more than one will be confronted by Karma. Literally. (And lose the additional items).

Comments

[apuckalypse]

Casey turns, and freezes, eyes widening. It might appear for a moment that he's shocked to find a mutant turtle! ...And yeah, that is why, but it's more like another mutant turtle. The only ones he'd ever expect to find here are the ones he already knows, but besides the general shape and the red mask, there's nothing familiar about this guy. (It's not even the same style of mask!)

"Uh..." How does he even begin to address any of this. ...Oh, wait! Crisis. They should deal with the crisis first. "No way! I can fight, too! I'll help."

He's never fought on an airship with a flying pan before, but there's a first time for everything, surely.

[saisdoesmatter]

The freeze and shock isn't surprising to him at all. Most people don't know about what the Kraang have been doing and how the mutations have been going rampant in New York, so he's expecting it. Though Raph is glad that the pan didn't go for his head and require him to pop into his shell to save his dome from getting clubbed.

But he isn't expecting the offer to help, green eyes glancing to the pan, then back to the dark haired human and smirks. "Definitely could use the help; no idea what's going on but if you need something better than that, I found weaps downstairs."

Though with the pitching the ship keeps doing, he's already trying to brace his feet to keep from sliding around.

[apuckalypse]

"Downstairs? Oh, that makes sense." This isn't his first rodeo, every once in a while when some kind of combat trial kicks in, there's usually rudimentary weapons available around somewhere. If there's none on deck, there must be some below. He can do much better than a frying pan. "Don't get into too much trouble without me, then! I'll be right back!"

He goes running for the stairs, hopping down as quick as he can to check the supplies. Be safe for a moment, mystery turtle.

[saisdoesmatter]

"There's a whole lot of them to pick from," he says, gesturing toward the stairs where he stomped up from a few moments ago before double checking to make sure they're not about to get jumped by anyone trying to get on board. "I got yer back."

The statement from the human makes him grin, sounding familiar to his friends back home. "Can't promise I won't~" because really, there's sky pirates trying to board and he's not about to let them get too far or toss anyone overboard.

With the dark haired human going below deck, he takes to spinning the sai again, getting a feel for the different weight as he makes sure to keep himself in between any raiding pirates and the stairs. When one gets too close in an attempt to follow the human, he's charging them, shouldering them in the chest to push them back. "I don't think so, jerk!"

[apuckalypse]

As promised, Casey's only gone for a handful of moments at worst. He scans over the options, a little bummed initially that there's no hockey stick (at least not one he can immediately spot). He doesn't want to leave Raph hanging for too long, and swords aren't his style either, so finally he grabs a staff, drops his mask over his face, and hoofs it back up the stairs.

And since there's a pirate conveniently right there, stumbling away from Raphael, before he can get fully up the stairs he swings his staff at the spirit's legs, knocking them flat. "Incoming! Let's do this."

He's so ready to tackle these pirates for real now! He's even got the frying pan strapped to his back, just in case.

[saisdoesmatter]

Considering his positioning to the stairs, Raph makes sure to play defense for now, as he isn't about to let this pirate get the drop on the dude downstairs. It's easy enough to get the hit in to get them to back off, ready to throw down if the pirate swings back, before there's footfalls behind him and his new partner in crime is warning him of his own attack.

He skirts out of the way as Casey goes for the legs, the movement familiar to his brother's bo work, and the spirit goes down. Not about to let them get back up, Raph tucks low, a quick jab to the spirit's face to make double sure they're out for the count.

Bouncing back up, he's already grinning. "Nice one--" he starts, before green eyes spot the mask now. It's different in design than the one he knows and while this human wasn't wearing face paint or has a hockey stick, the rest of it is familiar enough to make him do a double take.

"---Case?"

[apuckalypse]

Casey halts mid-step, sharing the double-take as his name is called. "What? How do you know my name?"

Who the heck is this vaguely-familiar-but-definitely-not-who-he's-reminded-of turtle who evidently knows him!?

[saisdoesmatter]

It's weird enough that he's seeing the similarities.

What's even weirder is that he's right.

Raph straightens, tilting his head to the side. "What the---I was right? What's going on here? You're like...real similar to my friend Casey back home: mask and everything." A pause. "Though he prefers hockey sticks than staves but that's Donnie's thing..."

[apuckalypse]

"Um." That is way, way too close. Too much to be a real coincidence. Just what is Thirteen playing at, here? "Casey... Jones?"

If so... how many of them are there!?

[saisdoesmatter]

He waits as this...other Casey??? boggles at it along with him. But when he answers with the full name, he nods. "Yeah, that's his name."

A frown creases his features before he punches backwards to take out a spirit coming to interrupt their conversation, not bothering to look at it when it drops, still focused on Casey. "...and yours too, I take it?"

[apuckalypse]

The reminder that they're fighting pirates is useful; Casey shakes off his shock and jumps into the fray. They can yell about their mutual confusion while they fight.

"Yeah, that's me. And my mom, too."

May as well give him a fair warning, there are in fact two Casey Joneses in this world.

[saisdoesmatter]

As Casey dips back into the chaos, Raph's close behind, since he's used to hollering conversations in between fighting goons. The information presented though makes his brows go up. "Did you say your MOM?"

Okay that's super new.

And kind of terrifying.

But it doesn't stop him from doing what he's good at: fighting.

[apuckalypse]

"Wh- yes?" He's not sure where the shock is coming from. "Does your Casey not have a mom?"

Okay, probably not a great question. Until he got to this world, he also didn't have a mom, because she was dead. Sometimes people don't have moms! (Or maybe other Casey's mom was not also Casey? He's so confused.)

In true turtle fashion though, he's also used to the classic talk-and-fight. As another set of spirits charge in, he spins his staff around and clashes with their weaponry, blocking with trained efficiency and a vaguely Donatello-esque flair. He's more used to hockey sticks, too, so he definitely learned how to use a polearm from the guy who's a pro at staffs.

[saisdoesmatter]

"Yeah, he does!" he answers amidst the fighting, as it's pretty typical to have a whole conversation during a fistfight. The short bruiser high kicks another spirit away from him, adjusting the direction of his sai to defend from oncoming cutlass swings. "I just didn't think he was named after his ma!"

Twisting his wrist to deflect the sword, he elbows the spirit in the chest to get them away from himself. The spin from Casey's staff catches his eye though and he smirks at it, since it's familiar in its own way. "You fond of the ice and sticks too? Or didja learn with somethin' else?"

[apuckalypse]

"Well- maybe he wasn't! Maybe it's just me." Is this other Casey's full name actually Cassandra? Because, uh.

...Wait. Wait, hang on. Turtle. Red mask. Friends with a Casey. Probably some kind of alternate reality.

"Are you- Raph?"

There's no way, right!?

[saisdoesmatter]

"Wouldn't know! Never asked and he never said!" Because really, his Casey mentioned his folks a few times but never expanded on it. They were always too busy taking out goons together.

When THIS Case asks him his name though, he barks a laugh, mouth twisting into another grin. "That's me. The sai didn't give it away?"

[apuckalypse]

"I mean, it mostly did. But my Raph sometimes uses tonfa too, or just his fists. So it's not always sai." Though in combination with the red mask and the whole turtle-ness sure helped.

Pardon him while his mind is reeling a little. So this is Raph... a Raph, anyway. "You're so, um. Small, though."

Weird to see a Raphael that might actually be shorter than him... he's so used to the turtles being closer to his height or towering over him. Well, besides Mikey.

[saisdoesmatter]

"Tonfa's a good choice too. Though you can't blame a guy for using the weapons the mutagen gave him." Because really. All the punches. So many bad guys getting punched. It's like his favorite hobby.

The line about being short is something he's used to. Sadly. "Hey now, just because I'm five foot don't mean I can't get th' job done. Mikey's still the shortest."

For now.

[apuckalypse]

"It's not a bad thing! Just not... used to it." Though Mikey being the shortest is normal. He wonders if that's a universal truth or just coincidence. "My Raph is huge. Like 7 or 8 feet. Or sometimes 20."

He's not sure if the ninpo form should count. Or maybe it should count extra.

[saisdoesmatter]

"He's WHAT?" Okay, sure, he's dealing with an...well alternate Casey. One that isn't painting skulls on everything. But this one is definitely news to him.

"My bro Donnie's like the tallest of all of us and he's not even six foot yet! How can yours be like...twenty!?"

This is, of course, all exclaimed while tossing a spirit off into another group like a bowling ball. Because reasons.

[apuckalypse]

Casey tries to imagine Donnie being the tallest, but... nope. He smacks one end of his staff right into the chin of an approaching pirate, stunning them and forcing them to drop their weapon, which he promptly bats right over the rail and into the storm.

"He's only twenty feet sometimes! When he uses ninpo."

Raph knows about ninpo, right...

[saisdoesmatter]

Casually playing bowling with the spirits has its benefits, since it allows him some space to turn on his heels and really stare at Casey with wide green eyes.

"When he does what now??? Uses--what??? The hell are you talkin' about Case???"

[apuckalypse]

Ohhhh no. He doesn't know what ninpo is. Casey blinks back at him, though the only sign of it is a slight shift in the green glow of his mask's eyes.

"Um..." How does he even begin to explain Hamato ninpo. "It's a... thing that the fam can do? Ah- duck!"

He lurches forward and swings his staff around, smacking a spirit pirate clean in the face when they try to take advantage of Raph's surprise. Jerk, he was trying to talk.

"It's like- magic, I guess? A mystic energy. From ghosts. My Raph can use it to make hug red armour around himself!"

[saisdoesmatter]

Raph's seen some weird stuff over the years back home, but in comparison, both he and his brothers are very much 'normal' turtles with simply knowing how to be ninjas. This mention of the other Raphael this Casey knows being able to do magic of some form??? That's definitely new. At least in terms of the turtles being able to do anything like that.

He gets part explanation before Casey's telling him to duck, which he does, dropping to the ground to let the other fighter take out the spirit pirate with his staff. "The fam can do it? Like everyone can?" he questions, springing back up behind Casey to roundhouse another pirate going after his exposed back, keeping up with the fight-and-converse between the two of them.

"...from ghosts? Whoa--that sounds rad as hell. I can't do anything like that--sounds really useful!"

[apuckalypse]

"It's pretty awesome, yeah! Not that, uh. Ninja fighting isn't. That's still awesome." He grew up learning it, after all, and it's all he knew how to do before coming here. He'll never discount their physical skills. "Everyone's got different powers. You'll see it, if you're here long enough. All of 'em are here."

Surprise?