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February-March 2024 Test Drive Meme
February-March 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: Power Nullification, Potential Kidnapping, Potential Animal Spirit Harm
The island of Never Fade can no longer be seen in the sky from elsewhere in Folkmore, enclosed within a large purple tinted cloud. Within that cloud, the island is under water—a dreamy purple underwater that all Star Children can breath in if they breath and function in if they function on electricity, so on and so forth. It causes no more difficulties than reduced visibility and greater effort to walk. It's even possible to swim underneath the island, so long as Star Children make sure to make landfall before they get too exhausted and… well… fall.
Friendnapped
Spread the Love
The island of Never Fade can no longer be seen in the sky from elsewhere in Folkmore, enclosed within a large purple tinted cloud. Within that cloud, the island is under water—a dreamy purple underwater that all Star Children can breath in if they breath and function in if they function on electricity, so on and so forth. It causes no more difficulties than reduced visibility and greater effort to walk. It's even possible to swim underneath the island, so long as Star Children make sure to make landfall before they get too exhausted and… well… fall.
Friendnapped
The purple water has streaks of silver shot throughout it. Beware, these silver streaks neutralize powers, canon and role abilities alike, for at least an hour. A neutralized Legend won't be able to sense others in danger. A neutralized Myth won't sense danger coming. A neutralized Familiar won't be able to shapeshift to help others. That may set of a danger alarm but not any spidey-sense. These silver streaks are harbingers of spirits recently returned to Folkmore thanks to donations at the Shattered Spoon Shrine: lonely sharks.
The source of the silver streaks in the water, these silver gray sharks swim up and gently bite people. These bites make people go instantly limp but otherwise don't do any damage. They won't even break the skin. Once limp, the lonely sharks take theirpreynew best friends down to a cave or grotto off the underside of Never Fade. These caves are full of silver water, saturated by the magic of lonely sharks, and the entrances are covered by a thin silver barrier that prevents Star Children from leaving. That means should a Star Child track down where someone is being kept, should they enter its home, they too will be trapped there.
Being held by the lonely sharks isn't the worst experience. These spirits will try to please their new friends, giving them their favorite foods and perhaps even an item from home. This may even be a weapon or magical item. Mind, the magic of these items will be neutralized in the shark's cave. It is possible to fight a lonely shark, even to kill one, but that will only be a temporary measure. Star Children will remain trapped and have to wait for the lonely shark to revive—with even more golden cracks than before. In the end, the only way to escape are hugs, cuddles, and other measures of friendship. Once all the golden cracks have thinned and disappeared, Star Children can leave.
Spread the Love
By the time mid-March comes around, most of the lonely sharks have been fully healed and no longer kidnap Star Children. Instead they swim the None of the Above tunnels below the island's surface, where they provide guidance to Star Children who ask them how to get somewhere. If Star Children have nowhere particular in mind, the lonely sharks encourage Star Children to make their way toward the Shattered Spoon Shrine.
The lonely sharks still create silver streaks in the water that neutralize powers, but they will accompany Star Children and warn them of some of the dangers. When voices call their names, the sharks will snuggle up against Star Children to provide comfort. They're devoted to helping Star Children reach the shrine. Once there, they will encourage the Star Children to donate Lore to one of the broken spoons there, each spoon representing spirits who have left, spirits who became shells of themselves from lack of lore, or ghosts.
Star Children who donate Lore will find their companion lonely shark presenting them with an item from home. This may even be a weapon or magical item. Mind, the magic will be neutralized until the Star Child has spent at least an hour away from the silvery water lonely sharks create. Lonely sharks will happily spend as much time with Star Children as they're willing but will show the way back to the surface either via LIM (Lavender Institute of the Mind) or the None of the Above tunnels.
- Never Fade is underwater within a cloud.
- Silver streaks in the water neutralize powers, both canon and Role based.
- Lonely sharks kidnap Star Children and take them to caves on the underside of Never Fade.
- Star Children who find those caves are trapped too.
- Escape by hugs, cuddles, and being friends.
- By the second month, most lonely sharks are healed and found in the tunnels.
- Lonely sharks guide Star Children to the Shattered Spoon Shrine to donate Lore to help others.
- Either when captive or once donating Lore, lonely sharks will give Star Children an item from home.
Content Warnings: Forced Relocation, Potential Secret Revelation, Potential Coerced Physical Intimacy
With the wide range of Star Children from many different worlds, sharing similarities, it's no surprise when moments of deja vu happen. That sense of the familiar with the new, the sense of something that happened before without quite being able to place it… or perhaps it being impossible. Regardless, when that connective moment happens, the Star Children involved are transported to a windmill home from the Cloud Colonies. They land together on a couch before a large television with all the makings of a movie night. There could be wine and cheese. There could be soda and popcorn. There could be tea or other hot beverages. There's a cozy blanket (only one). The movie has already been selected, and it starts playing.
Headliner
Remake
With the wide range of Star Children from many different worlds, sharing similarities, it's no surprise when moments of deja vu happen. That sense of the familiar with the new, the sense of something that happened before without quite being able to place it… or perhaps it being impossible. Regardless, when that connective moment happens, the Star Children involved are transported to a windmill home from the Cloud Colonies. They land together on a couch before a large television with all the makings of a movie night. There could be wine and cheese. There could be soda and popcorn. There could be tea or other hot beverages. There's a cozy blanket (only one). The movie has already been selected, and it starts playing.
Headliner
The movie is roughly based off one of the Star Children's lives, specifically for the Star Child that experience deja vu and triggered this experience. Regardless of the moment of deja vu, the plot of the movie is based off of some real or potential relationship—romantic or queer platonic—in their life. That Star Child can recognize some similarities immediately. If they had any doubts, they get a text message on their relic as the movie starts:
You need to get closer with your companion(s). You can either talk about what happened (or didn't) or not talk wink wink about it with them. The choice is yours (and theirs)! Have fun!
It's possible to ignore the message, at least for a while. The longer the movie plays, the more apparent it becomes that it's based off that Star Child. The starring character's clothes will change to resemble theirs. The cadence of their voice will shift to imitate theirs. Their facial features will shift. These changes will become more and more heavy handed as the movie goes on until even the most clueless companion will have real trouble not picking up on it. It may get harder and harder to distract them from talking about it! There's no pause button, and the only way to mute the movie is to *ahem* distract themselves from it until it becomes an indistinct background murmur.
Remake
If any Star Children thought this experience might have been a Valentine's Day prank, they'll be poorly mistaken come mid-March when it continues with a twist. The movie less closely resembles any one Star Child's life (whew?)… because it blends the lives of all those present together into a new story. One character is based off each Star Child, and it fits the other Star Child into the role of someone who was or could have been emotionally and/or physically intimate with them. If they had any doubts, each Star child gets a text message on their relic as the movie starts:
You need to get closer with your companion(s). You can either talk about what happened (or didn't) or not talk wink wink about it with them. The choice is yours (and theirs)! Have fun!
Not only does each Star Child have to decide what approach they want to take, but the other Star Child may pick up on what they're putting down! One Star Child may want to talk it out, but the other one desperately doesn't. Oh noes, how shall it be resolved? Well, the longer it takes, the more clearly the film demonstrates one way they could resolve it—a fictionalized ending, happy or sad or bittersweet or anything else, between the characters as they more closely resemble those watching them on the sofa. No one's free until they have a heart to heart or a something to something else. Any physical intimacy can do.
- Experience a moment of deja vu and get transported to a cozy living room in a Cloud Colony windmill.
- For the first month, the 'host' Star Child gets a text letting them know to get intimate—emotionally or physically.
- For the second month, all Star Children get that text.
- For the first month, the movie is based on the 'host' Star Child's experiences, what did or could have happened. As the movie progresses, it becomes more and more obvious that's the case.
- For the second month, the movie is a story blending Star Children's experiences together. That too will become more obvious over time.
- Some form of intimacy is the only way out!
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Well, never mind that. [He clears his throat and continues.] My methods are secret, but I will be doing something, I assure you.
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Ooooh, secret? Do you need a lot of specific components? I can help! I'm a witch apprentice!
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Really now. Then you should be offering to help your teacher instead of me, wouldn't you say?
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If I'm going to be a well rounded witch, I gotta see everything.
1/2
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[Draxum holds out an open palm, showing off the pile of little multi-colored feathers.]
When I said I intend to study them later, I meant by taking an alchemical analysis of the feather's properties and structure. Determining what they do is a much simpler affair. I need only use a mystic spell.
[Most of the magic Draxum pulls in the show are similar to D&D spells, so it's probably fair to say he knows Identify. Except he can do it component-less, the bastard that he is.]
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Do alchemy and magic stem from the same place for you? Is it biological like it is for the witches I know? [And she has more questions, but more pointed pertinent ones.]
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[Most yokai see his work as suspicious and taboo. Even those who respected him like the Council of Heads judged him for it immensely.]
Mystic abilities come to my kind naturally, but alchemy started out as a human science. Yokai do not to trust it for that reason. [He waves a hand dismissively.] As for the humans, once they learned they were working with atoms and not essences, chemistry became the standard. I largely continued the work on my own, and married it with my knowledge of all things mystic.
[So it's a little bit of both in the end. Mystic science!]
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That's really cool though. I've never heard of someone combining magic and alchemy before. Do they blend together pretty well, or is there like... a balance you need for each when trying to achieve something?
I use glyphs and you need a certain balance to make a glyph combo work.
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Definitely a balance, and not always the same one. It's something you tackle on a case-by-case basis.
[More important than that, though, Luz said something interesting. Or rather two something interestings. It's not unusual for different realms to use similar terminology, but the mention of wild magic followed by glyphs is drawing lines in his head.]
But when you say glyphs, do you mean something like this?
[Stuffing the feathers in an inner pocket of his robe, Draxum extracts a pad of paper and a pen instead, and sketches out one of the simpler glyphs he remembers Hunter showing him the day they met.]
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Oh! Exactly like that! Do you know Hunter? [Its out of habit she reaches out to touch the glyph, activating it. A small orb of light forms from the paper, floating up into the air.] I am so glad it still works here.
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It's been a long time since I've seen a human use magic. [Other than that time April got possessed or something? No one explained that to him.] But yes, he's the one who showed me this. So you are from the same world.
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Witches use magic in a different way than I do. This is apparently some old way of doing it? [She draws her own notepad from her pocket, scribbling out a glyph. She rips the paper off, backing off a few steps to drop the paper down onto the ground. With a flourish she activates an ice glyph. It erupts into a pillar of ice Luz is standing on.]
They have a lot of uses! Like this! [She poses a little dramatically, as is her way.]
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Nicely done.
[Draxum looks mildly impressed, but though a few bystanders clap, others are grumbling a bit about the two of them blocking the stalls.]
Want to go somewhere you can really cut loose? There's a park nearby. [The same one Hunter showed off for him at!] If you show me something interesting, I'll make something for you to use out of these feathers.
[Based on the vibe check he got—whatever they do, it's definitely some kind of social effect—he thinks they'll suit Luz a lot better than they will him.]
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[Then Luz realizes they have an audience.
Luz laughs self consciously as she flips open her notebook to scribble a fire glyph and slap it against the ice.
Melting the ice is not the best idea. Given Luz drops right through the pillar with a blast of fire and water gushes in every direction. Luz herself doesn't come out unscathed from the mini-flood.]
Uh, sorry! Sorry! Totally meant to do that!
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Welp, that's our cue to bail.
[Turning to the side, Draxum opens up a dramatic 20-foot high portal and walks through it, expecting Luz to follow if she too wants a quick escape.]
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Sorry! My baaaad!
[She ducks into that portal very quickly, bringing along excess water in the process.]
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Magic's a new thing for you, then?
[Or is it the ADHD. Honestly he could see both, that kind of whoopsie-daisy reminds him of the time he met the turtles and they first accessed their mystic powers.]
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She smacks down some plant glyphs in passing. The glyphs glow with a smack of her palm against the paper, springing up some grass to soak up some of the water. The red grass ripples outwards, and seems to do the trick of soaking up a good amount of water.
Also leaving a very obvious trail of red grass cutting through the park. Luz continues towards Draxum, flopping down on the bench with him.]
nNnno! Sometimes stuff just happens you know! [That was not convincing, Luz. what.]
I overestimated what I needed for the fire, with a glyph you kinda need to know what you want and I wanted that pillar gone a little too fast.
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So had you gone about it more carefully, something different would have happened?
[Draxum crosses one leg over the other. It probably looks weird, because you know. Goat legs.]
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Though her embarrassment is short lived. One because wow he is a goat guy! Two because She's Thinking now.]
Yeah, probably. If I had maybe tried for steam instead? A hot steam would melt the ice without making it a flood. Just- making a basic glyph is way faster than a glyph combo. I need more paper to make a glyph combo for the ice pillar I made. That takes time.
[She pulls out her notepad properly, flipping it open and drawing out a larger circle, adding glyphs therein. She's now thoroughly distracted.]
Maybe a modification of my mist, with another fire glyph?
[She rips the page off, before making a secondary version with an extra ice glyph.]
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Hearing you work through your theories reminds me of the way alchemists approached the craft. The early days were filled with much trial and error.
[It's quite nostalgic.]
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With glyphs there are only four main ones, and you build from there.
[She slides off the bench, immediately needing to test her theory. Luz is polite enough to make sure Draxum isn't in the potential direct blast zone.
She tests out the one with two ice glyphs first. She activates the paper and a plume of cold mist rolls through the air. Luz waves a hand trying to swat off the cold mist as she walks away from it.]
Okay, a little too cold! But it has an actual temperature to it.
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[Hopefully Luz doesn't stumble on any combos that end like that!]
Based on your demonstration earlier, fire and ice would be two of the basic glyphs. [Given she did them so quickly, they'd have to be based off that explanation. Which is interesting. Ice, but not water?] What are the other two?
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The other two are plant and light. [Luz offers back as she watches the mist slowly drift off. She would demonstrate, but she wants to finish her experiment with the steam first.] I'll show you in a second- lemme just try this.
[Once enough of the cooler mist is gone, Luz activates the next glyph. A much warmer steam billows outwards. Luz laughs a little from within it. She spins around in a circle amongst the mist as it spreads.]
Okay, this would have worked. Kinda sauna-y in here.
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