folkooc | June 2023 Test Drive Meme

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*tdm

June 2023 Test Drive Meme

June 2023 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 allowed to have in-game characters react to TDMs via the Network or make a Log with the prompts they want to participate in.

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.

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 ]

Right Where You Left Me . ★

Content Warnings: Alternate Universe, Memory alteration/altered sense of self, Exhibition

If This Was a Movie

You forget everything the fox told you on your way over. You forget your own history. You remember a completely new one, one that matches whatever story you're now in. It could be a story from your world—a folk tale, a novel, a movie, a telenovella—or one you've never heard of. Whatever it is, this is your life now. Your memories match as though you've lived here your whole life. The tone may match your world, or it may drastically differ.

And you're not alone.

Whatever scene you're in features at least one other Star Child in the same situation you are. They might also be a new arrival, or they may be someone Thirteen has plucked up out of Folkmore and brought here to join you. Whether you've known each other your whole previous life or never met before, you know each other as the people in the story—whatever relationship that is. You don't remember being placed here. It's your life! It always has been.

The two (or more) of you pick up at whatever point in the story it is. Perhaps it'll go the same way as the original story. Perhaps not. You still are you—memories redacted—after all. This story is yours to write together!

The outfits, the setting, the NPCs (played by Spirits going along with things), etc. all perfectly match the story and adapt with you as you create your own retelling.

Big Red Button

As it turns out, you aren't only in an entertainment, you are an entertainment. Across Folkmore, large screens showing these stories appear: in every school, in public squares, before a large meadow, in the middle of the desert, you name it. It's also streaming on everyone's relics. Everyone has the chance to see your story play out.

That's not all, Star Children are your key out of the story and into Folkmore itself. Along with these screens, there are big red buttons. Digitally, a big red button appears on people's relics when they watch these stories. It's pretty simple. Someone presses the big red button and you're free! The reason doesn't matter—boredom, pity, recognition, the irresistibility of buttons. These are the only way out, so when you get out is completely up to your fellow Star Children.

Once the button is pushed, an invisible wall between your story and Folkmore falls away. With it, you regain all your memories from home and from the walk to Folkmore with the fox. All you have to do is step out of the story and into the school of Baba Yaga. The school of magic. Thirteen isn't there personally, but you may feel her spirit around you. Baba Yaga—Thirteen—is the school itself.

A small chest is also there as soon as you leave the story containing an item from your homeworld. This may even be a weapon or magical item.

Small bat spirits have a couple stations set up within the school near where Star Children exit their stories. If you're injured or need to rest, they are ready to help treat you or provide you as many pillows and blankets as you wish. If you're hungry or thirsty, the other station has food and drink for all. Steaming tea, freshly baked bread, and all sorts of warm comforting foods. You'd be forgiven for thinking it might be autumn. They want you to be at your best when you leave Baba Yaga and enter the rest of Folkmore via Exile.

No Body, No Crime . ★

Content Warnings: Optional mind/body split, Possible invasion of privacy, Possible monster/creature violence

Eyes Open

When you leave Baba Yaga, you're somewhere in Exile. Not even the Spirits or experienced Star Children can tell you where exactly you are. The school walks around on its chicken legs. Unless someone leaves at the same time as you, you'll start in different places. You'll have to find your own way out.

If you have been exiled before, you'll have an easier time navigating the land. It'll help guide you toward where you want to go. If you have never been exiled before, you'll have a harder time navigating this section of Folkmore. The trees may try to push you back. Perhaps nothing happens, exactly, but the aura is one that doesn't want you. Regardless, there's enough fog that it's difficult to see where you're going. Attention certainly seems to be on you. Are the trees watching? Is the water listening? Those are simply stories Spirits share to scare new Star Children isn't it?

Suddenly, you may appear to be in another part of Folkmore! It could be anywhere. It could be a public area, a business, someone's home… Wherever it is, if you try to touch something, you realize you cannot. Instead you pass right through solid objects. You cannot open a door, but you can walk right through it. You may surprise someone with your sudden appearance, or perhaps you reach out to people you see for help. Perhaps you simply explore this new area where you were.

Take all the time you want. Hopefully nothing bad is happening back with your body still in Exile… On second thought, perhaps you don't want to spend too long away from your body. You can use your own skills or get help returning to your body or find yourself suddenly back in it. Time to take stock and maybe find your way back to the rest of Folkmore body included.

Cowboy Like Me

On your way through Exile, you may come across weapons sticking out of the ground. Swords, axes, shields, bows, guns… All manner of non-magical weapons. They're simply there, scattered here and there, free for the taking. It looks like someone had a bad time trying to get out of Exile. Whoever the weapons belonged to, they don't need them now.

A word of warning to those who grab the weapons, as soon as you do, one of the dangerous creatures in Exile will find you. These creatures don't only have sharp claws or fangs, poison or sharp senses, they are intelligent. You'll need not only the weapon(s) you grabbed but your wits to defeat them or the luck of someone else coming along to help you out.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He hummed thoughtfully. "Well some of them are food." Vash said. "But they don't make things like our plants do."

Vash just smiled and shrugged, of course he liked the plants, that probably went without saying.

"Probably the plants and abundance. Everyone has a safe home to live in. There's food and drink everywhere. It's so different."

Wolfwood raises his eyebrows at that. Safe homes. Food. What is this place, earth before humans ruined it? He eyes the food and drink offered them here anew. These worms have so much they can simply give it away to everyone here. That's unheard of, except in fairy tales. The kinds of stories no one bothers to tell at bedtime because they'd never be true for you.

"That's better than July!" And July did better than Wolfwood could ever afford until— eh. Price of living under Knives.

"How about cold storage sleep?" he asks, so long as they're dreaming big. Nicholas could use not to age while he slept at least as much as Luida and Brad in a place like this.

"I'll take your word for it. I just..." He laughed. "Since we went in there, I hadn't been there in forever." Vash said with a bit of a helpless shrug.

"Ah, I haven't seen any evidence of cold sleep." Vash said, thinking about it. "I have heard if we die we come back though. I don't know how true that is, it seems pretty fantastical."

He hadn't died, so he had no idea.

Wolfwood stares a moment at Vash and that little shrug. It's not how he expected the hyperempathetic gunman to talk about July. "Forget July, we're here now," Wolfwood holds up the bread and takes a cup of discolored water. It's likely potable since Vash has been drinking it.

"That's no excuse for you to get yourself killed," Wolfwood says, his chest relaxing with the implication Vash hasn't died yet. "I'll believe that one when I see it. Even that doesn't guarantee it for you or me."

He tucks the information into his back pocket, regardless. Not that he has any medicine with him, and even with his metabolism he has a while. No idea what that statement would do with old age.

"Uh, okay." Vash said, not entirely sure what Wolfwood was talking about, but he could drop it. After all, he'd only gotten a little shot, but he was fine now.

"I wasn't planning on it! I don't want to die!" Vash complained lightly. Even if that was a little selfish, considering everything he'd done.

"I guess not, I'm just saying what I heard. I can't know if it's true unless I die and I don't want to test it."

"Good," Wolfwood says and presses one finger lightly into Vash's chest. "We're going to keep it that way." As though he has any say on how Vash feels about any of it. That's not the part 'we' will have a part in. Only in keeping Vash alive, despite his sometimes vexing refusal to defend himself. Wolfwood hasn't seen threats since stepping out of the screen, but it was a kill or be killed war in there. He won't assume Folkmore will be as sweet and peaceful as Vash represents it.

Someone had to die to figure that out.

He sips the water and makes a face. It's not what he was expecting, though it is warm. "You really telling me you haven't gotten up to any trouble?" They couldn't go forty-eight hours before.

He was very slippery at least, very hard to kill. He had that going for him. "Sure, I mean, I'm not looking to die anytime soon." It was just a rumour, it was entirely possible that he was wrong about it.

"Trouble...trouble.." Vash thought about it for a moment. "I wandered the desert a lot, but that was pretty normal." He did that all the time. "Nope, no trouble."

That definitely was something. He'd had peaceful moments, a few days here, a week there, but they were usually far and few between.

Uneasy about the new and unknown location, Wolfwood steps a little closer, with his cross between them and the entrance to the tent. He keeps an eye on the black worms serving food and drink as well as the others in the tent. No one's taking out Vash right in front of him.

He squints at Vash suspiciously because wandering the desert is a day ending in y. He simply can't believe the man can avoid trouble for however long a while is that he's been here. Nope, not this guy. Not at all.

"No new scars?" Wolfwood asks suspiciously. He looks down Vash's well covered body as though he'll somehow sense them.

He needed to think about it, just to double check and then he smiled. "Nope!" Wasn't that perfect? He didn't get any new scars since he last saw Wolfwood. He was there when he got shot.

"And that last wound is all healed now so I'm pretty good. I've been avoiding fighting." That was probably obvious. "And uh, yeah no one's tried to kill me lately. This place is kind of great."

Wolfwood appreciates the thought put into the answer. Strange as it is that no one's tried anything on Vash—come on, the guy's known as the humanoid typhoon for a reason—he supposes it's the truth. Between the two of them, Vash isn't the liar. "Huh," Wolfwood comments elaborately.

He eats more of the not-worm bread, chewing it and staring at Vash the entire time. Nothing suspicious, beyond the strange worms, in the vicinity. That in and of itself is suspicious. Even in a place like July, where things might be so calm if you're not with the humanoid typhoon, Wolfwood would expect to see some police or something. Something.

"Seems suspicious. Nowhere's that great."

"Nowhere I've been before, that's true." Vash said with another little chuckle and he shrugged his shoulders, best he could do. He didn't really understand all that much about everything, but he didn't ask many questions either. He just enjoyed everyone's company, including his plants.

"But most people have never heard my name before, so if someone is looking for me here, I haven't heard of it."

"If no one else's here from No Man's Land they shouldn't be," Wolfwood says, "since you haven't been doing anything." No Knives to fuck shit up and blame Vash. No one to know Wolfwood's crimes and want revenge either. A fresh slate. Supposedly.

"Should make looking after you easy then."

"Well I don't know if you have to look after me." Vash pointed out because Wolfwood could always do his own thing.

"Besides, I haven't accidentally wrecked anything yet!"

He was still taking the blame for Knives' destruction.

"I'm going to," Wolfwood says. It's natural, an easy decision, and something he owes Vash for how he treated him. Beyond that, Wolfwood has no idea what he would do without it. That bottomless maw threatens if he thinks too hard about things.

He frowns. "How often do you actually do that?" he asks, "Rather than simply be there when things get wrecked? Or wreck them to save people?"

How much of the 'humanoid typhoon' is simply Knives?

He wasn't likely to be able to dissuade Wolfwood and he knew that well enough. He hadn't managed to shake him, or Roberto, or Meryl for awhile. It didn't bother him, but they weren't responsible for him. He would hold fast to that.

"Uh...well you know, I have a reputation." Vash said with a nervous little look. "That's why I keep moving obviously. I stick around, things get broken."

"I know your reputation," Wolfwood says. That doesn't make it Vash's fault. The gang attacking the steamer wasn't Vash's fault. Hell Livio wasn't his fault either. Livio was just confused, Wolfwood's sure of it. Everything with Hopeland Orphanage is his fault. They threatened the orphanage because of him. They because Zazie can do a lot, but no worms moved that ion cannon. So that whole mess wasn't his fault at all.

"Correlation, not causation. Don't blame yourself because people don't know how to think," Wolfwood snarks. "You said it wasn't happening here."

"Well, it is my fault." Vash said with a bit of a shrug. If he wasn't there, Knives wouldn't get involved and they'd be safe. That was how it was his fault.

"Anyway, nothing like that has happened here, but maybe I should move to a different house soon, just in case."

He liked his treehouse, but what if something went wrong?

Wolfwood makes a face at Vash's statement, but he doesn't say anything more, directly.

"I just got here. I'm not spending my first days here moving house," Wolfwood says. The longer he can get Vash to stay in one place, the more he'll see it's not his fault. Even if it's just a little while longer, it's worth it. "Haven't I gone through enough back there?" He motions toward the screen.

"I mean..." Vash blinked at the question and nodded. "I guess you have a point."

He hadn't planned on asking Wolfwood, of course, nor did he have anything to move, but if Wolfwood wanted to hang out at his place, who was he to deny that?

"Guess we can always do it later as long as nothing happens."

That's the way to get Vash to do anything: make it not about Vash. Wolfwood nods and swallows the last of his tea. He couldn't have known there was nothing but raising Vash's anxiety in his questions, but at least he fixed that problem.

"Agreed. That's something to think about later. I hope you have a couch." If not, Vash needs one. Wolfwood could sleep on the floor, but he'd rather not.

It wasn't Wolfwood's fault, he just wanted to protect all the nice people he'd met so far, which was pretty standard for him.

"I do." He confirmed and tilted his head. It was his own way of accepting Wolfwood would be crashing with him. He wasn't really bothered by it, besides if anything happened, Wolfwood could hold his own.

Wolfwood slightly smiles back at the confirmation and... lack of rejection. He'd already said it, but it felt like steamrolling before. Now, he could have said something.

At least there will be one familiar thing in this place. "It's good to see you again." Is this where Vash got off to? Wolfwood doesn't ask. He doesn't want to talk about July.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

June 2023 Test Drive Meme

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