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October-November 2025 Test Drive Meme
October-November 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: N/A
Drizzly Willow is where newly arrived Star Children touch down, touching down gently in the soft moss beside a grand lake, or a babbling brook. The leafy strands of weeping willow trees flow gently in the breeze. All would seem calm, and yet, something prickles the back of Star Children's necks. Goosebumps erupt along skin and a sense of unease settles in the pit of the stomach. Some sort of invisible tension pulsates through Willow, and the closer one comes to the border shared with Exile, the worse it gets. It's almost as if something foul is drifting in from the neighboring marsh lands, affecting Leshy and Talaria in particular. Still, if one were to cross this border and enter Exile proper, all the tension dissipates. If one were to ask Baba Yaga, the iteration of Thirteen who rules over these marshes, she'll smile mysteriously and shake her head before vanishing.
Curious.
Amrita, the one in charge of Willow, has a plan to be rid of these uncomfortable vibes infiltrating her domain. All along the border shared with Exile, within walking distance of both Leshy and Talaria, Amrita has set up communal gardens. Not only are there wide, open spaces of freshly dug soil, there are a few lavish greenhouses. The glass panes are all squeaky clean and any sunlight to pass through almost seems to be filtered, removing any harsh glare and leaving only a pleasant glow. A warmth, almost. Within these greenhouses, that nasty prickle wafting in from Exile cannot be felt at all.
Veteran Star Children, the ones who would normally have no reason to visit Willow, are extended an invitation through their Relic to help tend to the gardens. Not only will it cleanse the area of that curious tension and be a valuable learning experience regarding agriculture, a small reward may be in it for those who participate!
Step right up, dear children! Pick up a spade or a watering can, there are more than enough to go around. More importantly, there are seeds, sprouts and bulbs of all types of plants. Fruits, vegetables, grains, certain spices… And yes, even flowers. Greenhouses and fields are both available, though one may need to do a little research on which option would be best for which plant. Either ask a friend, or consult one of the few books on gardening on loan from Amrita Academy.
Getting these gardens up and running isn't as simple as planting a seed in the correct location and watering it, though. No, instructions from Amrita are quite clear: Once planted, the seed (or sprout or bulb) must be watered with a watering can that's been infused with Lore. Only then will the plant grow at supernatural speeds, poking up through the soil and transforming rapidly into its full potential. A large pumpkin, an apple tree, a colorful rhubarb… Or maybe a banana tree? Or a patch full of potatoes, ready for eating! For those curious about the reward Amrita mentioned, this is it: delicious, fresh, homegrown food. Anything grown here won't go bad for a good long while, either. All fruits of labor will retain their size and hardiness for a whole month, if not longer, so harvesting need not happen any time soon.
The more plants grown in these gardens, the more the strange tension from Exile will decrease, almost as if the air is being purified by the flora.
Watering with Lore-infused tools isn't as easy as it sounds, though. It never is, as veteran Star Children will be able to guess. With these gardens being communal, the focal point to get the watering cans powered up is talking to others about community. What makes a community, or even just a team? What does it take to feel accepted by others? Reminiscing about communities one has been a part of in the past works just as well, of course.
Drizzly Willow is where newly arrived Star Children touch down, touching down gently in the soft moss beside a grand lake, or a babbling brook. The leafy strands of weeping willow trees flow gently in the breeze. All would seem calm, and yet, something prickles the back of Star Children's necks. Goosebumps erupt along skin and a sense of unease settles in the pit of the stomach. Some sort of invisible tension pulsates through Willow, and the closer one comes to the border shared with Exile, the worse it gets. It's almost as if something foul is drifting in from the neighboring marsh lands, affecting Leshy and Talaria in particular. Still, if one were to cross this border and enter Exile proper, all the tension dissipates. If one were to ask Baba Yaga, the iteration of Thirteen who rules over these marshes, she'll smile mysteriously and shake her head before vanishing.
Curious.
Amrita, the one in charge of Willow, has a plan to be rid of these uncomfortable vibes infiltrating her domain. All along the border shared with Exile, within walking distance of both Leshy and Talaria, Amrita has set up communal gardens. Not only are there wide, open spaces of freshly dug soil, there are a few lavish greenhouses. The glass panes are all squeaky clean and any sunlight to pass through almost seems to be filtered, removing any harsh glare and leaving only a pleasant glow. A warmth, almost. Within these greenhouses, that nasty prickle wafting in from Exile cannot be felt at all.
Veteran Star Children, the ones who would normally have no reason to visit Willow, are extended an invitation through their Relic to help tend to the gardens. Not only will it cleanse the area of that curious tension and be a valuable learning experience regarding agriculture, a small reward may be in it for those who participate!
Step right up, dear children! Pick up a spade or a watering can, there are more than enough to go around. More importantly, there are seeds, sprouts and bulbs of all types of plants. Fruits, vegetables, grains, certain spices… And yes, even flowers. Greenhouses and fields are both available, though one may need to do a little research on which option would be best for which plant. Either ask a friend, or consult one of the few books on gardening on loan from Amrita Academy.
Getting these gardens up and running isn't as simple as planting a seed in the correct location and watering it, though. No, instructions from Amrita are quite clear: Once planted, the seed (or sprout or bulb) must be watered with a watering can that's been infused with Lore. Only then will the plant grow at supernatural speeds, poking up through the soil and transforming rapidly into its full potential. A large pumpkin, an apple tree, a colorful rhubarb… Or maybe a banana tree? Or a patch full of potatoes, ready for eating! For those curious about the reward Amrita mentioned, this is it: delicious, fresh, homegrown food. Anything grown here won't go bad for a good long while, either. All fruits of labor will retain their size and hardiness for a whole month, if not longer, so harvesting need not happen any time soon.
The more plants grown in these gardens, the more the strange tension from Exile will decrease, almost as if the air is being purified by the flora.
Watering with Lore-infused tools isn't as easy as it sounds, though. It never is, as veteran Star Children will be able to guess. With these gardens being communal, the focal point to get the watering cans powered up is talking to others about community. What makes a community, or even just a team? What does it take to feel accepted by others? Reminiscing about communities one has been a part of in the past works just as well, of course.
- New Star Children land in Willow. Veteran Star Children are sent an invitation by Amrita (Willow's Thirteen) to come tend to gardens.
- Amrita has set up several communal gardens, fields and greenhouses near Talaria and Leshy with all the necessities to get started.
- Special watering cans powered by Lore can have plants grow to full size immediately. In order to invoke this Lore, Star Children must have conversations about the concept of community.
- Meanwhile, a strange, uncomfortable tension seems to be seeping out from Exile. The plants from the gardens absorb this tension to cleanse it. When entering Exile itself, the tension can no longer be felt.
Content Warnings: Violence
After a few successful days of gardening, the outer rim of Willow is decked out with lush fields and fully-populated greenhouses. The assortment also includes a few patches that play host to huge pumpkins, rutabagas, turnips and other such big roots and gourds, perfect for carving in this fall season. And wouldn't you know it, there's tables nearby with carving kits, all set up and ready to go. From the child-friendly kind to the extra sharp tools for skilled adults, there's a kit for every preference. Star Children who look upon these kits feel a strange inclination to use them, even when they normally wouldn't bother with this.
They take hold of a small saw, a paring knife or even a gutting spoon and get to work on carving a pumpkin, or any other root vegetable that strikes their fancy. The mood becomes intense, like it's a competition. A battle with great stakes. A sour tang is in the air. Chunks of pumpkin begin to fill up the little waste buckets.
But wait! Any pumpkin (or other gourd or root vegetable) that's received a finished face comes to life. It grows until it's larger than the average Star Child, thick roots and vines springing to life along its bottom to serve as limbs. Whatever emotion its expression was originally meant to convey makes no difference; the newly born plant creature is angry. Like Frankenstein, being the creators of these monstrosities does not shield Star Children from hatred and hostility, making them instant targets. Vines attempt to wrap around arms and legs to keep Star Children in place, and don't you regret putting so many sharp angles in their mouths now? If given the chance, these plant monstrosities will attempt to 'eat' whoever they get a hold of. They won't get very far, since they don't have a digestive system, but being forcibly pulled into an enormous, wet pumpkin maw is still not a good time.
As if sensing the need for them, weapons begin to sprout from the ground nearby, similar to ripe carrots. Swords, pitchforks, spears… Even weapons a Star Child may recognize from home. These are free for the taking, and will be a helpful asset when fighting the overgrown, living gourds.
Squash those squashes!
After a few successful days of gardening, the outer rim of Willow is decked out with lush fields and fully-populated greenhouses. The assortment also includes a few patches that play host to huge pumpkins, rutabagas, turnips and other such big roots and gourds, perfect for carving in this fall season. And wouldn't you know it, there's tables nearby with carving kits, all set up and ready to go. From the child-friendly kind to the extra sharp tools for skilled adults, there's a kit for every preference. Star Children who look upon these kits feel a strange inclination to use them, even when they normally wouldn't bother with this.
They take hold of a small saw, a paring knife or even a gutting spoon and get to work on carving a pumpkin, or any other root vegetable that strikes their fancy. The mood becomes intense, like it's a competition. A battle with great stakes. A sour tang is in the air. Chunks of pumpkin begin to fill up the little waste buckets.
But wait! Any pumpkin (or other gourd or root vegetable) that's received a finished face comes to life. It grows until it's larger than the average Star Child, thick roots and vines springing to life along its bottom to serve as limbs. Whatever emotion its expression was originally meant to convey makes no difference; the newly born plant creature is angry. Like Frankenstein, being the creators of these monstrosities does not shield Star Children from hatred and hostility, making them instant targets. Vines attempt to wrap around arms and legs to keep Star Children in place, and don't you regret putting so many sharp angles in their mouths now? If given the chance, these plant monstrosities will attempt to 'eat' whoever they get a hold of. They won't get very far, since they don't have a digestive system, but being forcibly pulled into an enormous, wet pumpkin maw is still not a good time.
As if sensing the need for them, weapons begin to sprout from the ground nearby, similar to ripe carrots. Swords, pitchforks, spears… Even weapons a Star Child may recognize from home. These are free for the taking, and will be a helpful asset when fighting the overgrown, living gourds.
Squash those squashes!
- Willow's communal gardens soon hold patches with huge pumpkins, other gourds and root vegetables. Tables with carving kits appear near them.
- Star Children who look upon these kits feel a strange inclination to use them
- Any pumpkin (or other gourd or root vegetable) that's received a finished face comes to life and attacks.
- The living plants can't actually digest anyone, but they will try to 'eat' Star Children by stuffing them into their mouths anyway.
- Weapons (local and from home) sprout from the ground to help fight the plants off.
Morgan Elsbeth }{ Star Wars }{ Myth
Over the Garden Wall
Morgan, after having spent time with her brother in wolf form and running with a pack (again) had been thoroughly angry to find herself returned to her true self, and had retreated to her garden, repairing it for the weeks of neglect - but in reality, the combination of her magick and the technological systems she's put in place had cared for it on the most part. There was handwork to do, of course, but much less than one might suspect.
Mostly, she was sulking, snarling at having something she'd enjoyed so completely taken away. Despite that, it didn't take much for her to be lured to the communal gardens. In part, it was selfish - a desire to look for more plants for herself, a desire to be part of a group working toward the same goal. Yes, she'd sent a message to her Brother to let him know she was going, but that it's self served as an invitation for him more than checking in - especially as the tension inside the greenhouses eased.
Because once in the gardens, Morgan didn't leave. Losing herself in work was something she indulged in more than she had allowed people to know, but her determination had been understood.
Rare for those who had seen her outside the garden, her sleeves were worn up (woven up, actually) with dirt and sap staining her hands and nails. Nearby was a damp bag of plant cuttings and spouts to transplant home, but the places she'd worked clearly had been worked with skilled and practiced hands - neat, carefully tended to, and labeled with fabric ties in small, very neat lettering. And she had been studying the plants here, for magick, herbs, food.
And once she understood what the Lore cans were for, she kept one of those within reach, too.
Attack of the Killer Pumpkins
Morgan hadn't joined in carving faces - instead, she'd carved symbols, glyphs, practiced the language of the tattoos her people used. But when she'd heard a shout nearby, she'd blasted at the pumpkin with a violent burst of electric green magick, shattering it. Vines from another had grabbed her legs, and she'd swept the ground with her hands for purchase and felt a cool metal object touch her fingertips. Once she'd wrestled it from the ground, a long, dark grey, gleaming spear, wicked sharp and very familiar to her had been revealed, and she used the cutting edges of the spear head and the leverage to her advantage - after all. She'd owned this spear once.
Attack of the Killer Pumpkins
As the screams began and the hostile vines burst forth, Snow jumped up with excitement. "Finally! Something interesting around here!" He bore his new fangs with a wicked grin as he grabbed a carving knife and jumped into the fray. Vines were slashed with much more enthusiasm than the intended welcoming activity.
He couldn't help but notice the woman wielding the spear nearby as they both sliced into the offending plants. "Not bad!"
no subject
It wasn't the case, but she was from a people who didn't tolerate weakness or fear, and she'd been wielding weapons in hunting and combat nearly since she could walk.
The Star Child near her seemed to be confident in his knife-wielding, so she didn't get too close - her weapon was ranged, his was close quarters, but blades still needed room to be swung, and it wouldn't do to get in each other's way. But she was aware of him.
When one gourd used it's vines to leap into her face, Morgan raised her free hand and blasted it with an explosive burst of Magick, showering her with wet plant matter, not that she noticed. "Clear your surroundings, then cheer for others." Her tone gave the impression of someone teaching during a sparing match rather than scolding.
tw: centipedes
Which was to say... fighting his own battles up close like this, while exciting, was not Snow's strength. Cinderella was the trained fencer, not he; and loathe as he was to admit it, especially to a stranger, Snow would soon get tired. Of course, just as soon as he blew off Morgan was when her words came to bear. Snow's surroundings were not clear, and one of the larger pumpkins caught him off guard when its vines flung mud right into his chest.
Previously, Snow had been entertained. Now, he was livid.
"You absolute shit!" he hissed through his teeth in rage. His free hand flexed and large centipedes began to flood into the area, coming in from all sides and even burrowing up from the ground. Gesturing at the fruit that had insulted him, Snow gave the order.
"Tear it apart!"
The mandibled minions viciously obliged.
tw: centipedes
And his rage over getting dirty was laughable, had they not been in a serious situation.
But at least he was handling it. Morgan turned her back to the mess to more effectively clear the area around herself. She slid her foot further away, taking a lower, more grounded stance, the spear now taller than her by a good amount. With her free hand, she reached into her belt and pulled a small knife from inside the fabric, throwing it hard into the ground, burying it in the dirt in case she needed it.
Some of the vines had learned to stay away from the tip of her spear, but Morgan had cleared the ground the length of her stride. Then she looked over at the boy(?) "Holding your own?"
It's not mocking, or critical. Morgan fights from the front. And he's part of her combat line.
no subject
With another sweep of his arm, he sent his swarm of summoned bugs on the offensive to cover the rear. Then he rolled his shoulders and took up the knife again, ready for anything that tried to get close. "Well enough. But I'd be happy never to see another pumpkin again."
Maybe there was something to this jack-o-lantern power after all. He'd certainly never faced such hostile produce before.
"How many do you have left?"
no subject
Useless.
Morgan was moving her spear in an arc before her, making quick, if not neat work, of the pumpkins and vines within reach. "One pumpkin, a dozen vines or more, but they are tangled enough to be difficult to say." And really there were probably dozens of vine sections mixed in, like so much split guts after a hunt.
Over the Garden Wall
When he spotted her, he came up and knelt down next to her, removing his outer robe as he did so. Once he'd set it to the side, he turned towards his Sister. "What would you have me do here?"
no subject
He wasn't a Sister. And she ached for that. But he filled a void that she acutely felt when they were apart, which she'd come to recognize was the same feeling she'd had when she was apart from her Sisters.
"I'm convinced over half of them haven't ever touched dirt," Morgan responded without looking up from the mess of seedlings she was thinning. "These are healthy, just too close to the others; they'll need to be transplanted. Together, we can quickly sort this row out." She reached over, placing a narrow trowel in his hand and gave his hand a light squeeze. Together? she means.
no subject
He squeezed back, gentle as ever with his claws around his Sister, even pared back as they are to keep them short. "So it shall be done," he told her. He was not one much for gardening usually but he'd learned a lot from Morgan in helping her cultivate the garden in their own home in the windmill.
no subject
She suddenly had a very intense memory of one of the elder Sisters, kneeling behind her, hand over hand showing her how to dig and place a bulb in the ground, cover it, water it, and even though she hadn't been old enough, hand over hand to guide her Sister's Magick to help the plant grow. Morgan knew she couldn't have been more than a toddler, that that particular Sister had died during a trip away from the village, killed by a beast as she stood her ground to defend the kits she'd been charged with teaching. The grief was sudden, strong, but quite different from what she felt about the massacre of her Sisters. She stopped what she was doing to fold her cuffs in the manner of Zenthra, careful little folds and pleats to make the round cuffs form a V shape on top and bottom of her wrists.
With anyone else, she'd have felt silly stopping work for something so sentimental and embarrassed over the faint film of tears that had suddenly covered her eyes. She'd have lashed out, hostile, over her appearance of weakness, needing to counter it. But not with her Brother. "So it shall. And we'll show them two Nightkin are worth twenty of them." Then, quieter, just for their ears, "And that our Sisters who have gone will be remembered."
no subject
Yet here and now, he could get a small bit of it back, allowing him to feel those bittersweet memories and mourn for the past in a manner that didn't mean being vulnerable in front of anyone except Morgan. "Yes. Their memories are alive and well within us." So long as the two of them remained, their clan would always be remembered and never die. He started the repetitive task of transferring the seedlings one at a time as Morgan directed him to.
no subject
Steady, repetitive work was hardly the most exciting. But it was like gardening in general, basic combat training, or working the older kits through their first experiences with Magick - needed. Part of her duty, part of a Mother's duty, was something which somehow also soothed her grief. Only Morgan didn't have to the same level of hand holding she'd had to have done with small kits, and Maul worked much quicker. She did have a thought about Corvus and the people there, how they'd rejected her attempts at leading and nurturing. True, she hadn't tried for (much) leadership here, but no one had outright rejected her, and her expertise had been admired.
And she hadn't heard the word "witch" lobbed at her as if it were an ugly curse. Did she want to return home? Eventually. But not yet. It would wait, and she would return stronger. While her thoughts drifted, she only occasionally directed Maul, and they moved quickly - their abilities helped, of course, but mostly it was just the ease of working together. "If there is anything you want to take home, I have a collection going." She realized she hadn't explained the sample bag she had, and Maul might want to take some of the plants home with them.
no subject
no subject
"That's not a problem. It might be better to take more than one, but we have room for it." She smoothed a hand over the dirt, patting it gently, and sat back on her heels, still and listening. Not out of an alertness for danger, but simply to feel the ebb and flow of the community around her.
"I have wanted this for so long." This feeling. She's not sure she trusts it to stay, to last, and knows if it doesn't, it's going to hurt. Hurt like a scald on a raw wound. But she can't make herself withdraw from it.
no subject
"I understand completely." They had both lost so much, so to have some of it back makes Maul feel satisfied, knowing all those who had tried to ruin their lives would be fuming knowing they hadn't completely succeeded.