August & September 2023 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

August & September 2023 TDM

Introduction

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This Test Drive meme is open to all.
Welcome to Folkmore's bimonthly 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.

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]

Oh How Quiet . ★

Content Warnings: Difficulty seeing, possibility of drowning, forced relocation

Fog & Footsteps

Some Star Children find themselves on land. The air is foggy and damp, blurring and distorting vision making it difficult to tell where they are, what’s real and what isn’t until–finally–Star Children find themselves on wet sand. Continue marching forward and trees begin to form a skeletal border, dark shadows growing and stretching further into their depths. Star Children who have experienced being exiled before can feel a path through the trees should they choose to venture further. Star Children who haven’t been exiled can feel resentment building around them and have greater difficulty navigating the path ahead.

Anyone who glances back may find footsteps in the sand alongside theirs. The more anyone looks back, the more prints appear. They’re inconsistent like their maker hops or flies part of the time or fades in and out of the physical universe… or something else. They may be human, or animal, or something Star Children can’t quite put a name to.

The Will or the Wisp

The longer Star Children dwell on them, the more tempting they are to follow—familiarity, comfort, curiosity, something. The footsteps eventually lead Star Children down a branching path toward a wall of thick, colorless fog. Inside the fog, there are enchanting wisps of light dancing just out of reach, urging Star Children to keep following. Just a little further, the sweet voices promise.

Continue onward and soon outlines appear in the mist, showing just who (or what) the earlier footsteps belong to–distorted human or animal shapes that exist only where fog is displaced by the will-o’-the-wisps they carry like lanterns. They lure Star Children deeper into Exile, all the while making promises they have no intention of keeping...

Salvation comes in the form of a fellow Star Child guided toward someone in distress by shifting sands. They radiate starlight that pierces through the thick fog around them, allowing people to find the sandy forest path toward The Beach. Once Star Children reach it, they will both find an old, sea-battered treasure chest which offers characters a personal item from home and either a nonfunctional compass or lantern. A will-o-the-wisp will fly directly into the item, which doesn’t seem to make it work. The compass needle points toward somewhere in Exile, not north. The lantern doesn’t light up. However, when the Star Child is truly lost, the compass will point where they need to go and the lantern will light up any darkness. Each Star Child can only receive either the compass or the lantern.

A Magical Day

Whether passing directly through the forest path or guided back to it, Star Children find a shoreline extending in either direction. Some water laps against the beach, but farther out is the long expanse of tenuous reality. Come September, it fades into the distance until it can no longer be seen. The beach itself is in Exile, heavy with the weight of magic. It feels reassuring and encouraging. Star Children can indulge in a sunless day at the beach, playing in the sand, and soaking in the magic. Those wishing for a bit more warmth can explore the shoreline north to the Boat Bonanza at the port where the Encantado reaches the ocean.

Key Points:

🦊 Star Children may pass through a thick fog to reach a wet, sandy path that passes through trees and leads to The Beach in Exile.
🦊 If they keep looking behind them on the path they will find footprints following alongside their own. Those footprints will try luring characters deep into fog using will-o’-the-wisp lanterns, leading them into the swamp so they can drown them.
🦊 A fellow Star Child can act as a light to guide lost characters back to the safety of shore.
🦊 Star Children that are rescued from the lure or who rescue another Star Child will be rewarded with a non-weapon memento from home and either a compass or a lantern (not both).
🦊 Star Children that don’t succumb will simply continue forward to The Beach without issue and will have opportunities to find a non-personal item from their home worlds being sold at the market. See below.

Christening Ceremony . ★

Content Warnings: Possibility of drowning, fetch quests

Boat Bonanza

Whether venturing up the coastline from Exile, floating down the Encantado River, or simply being plopped into the water, Star Children new and old find themselves in water. A strong wave rolls up the beach to drag suspecting and unsuspecting alike. Playful pinkish-red dolphins spray people off boats into the river. Or Star Children find themselves treading water deeper than they are tall with no land in sight. No worries, those who need help getting out of the water will get it. Along the shore, spirits in boats will pick up anyone in need of a ride and bring them back through the fog to the sounds of shouts and cheers and music to a large clear spot in the fog.

Boats come into view. Boats of all shapes and sizes, from single person kayaks to large houseboats, fishing craft and sailboats. They rise and fall with the waves but aren't otherwise moving. Ropes, planks, and bridges tie the boats together. Whether approaching by river or by sea, new boats explore the outskirts of the great conglomeration of boats and attach themselves—increasing the size of the gathered ships. So many boats are gathered that the shore isn't visible from new boats tying up.

Everyone's welcome aboard and to wander from boat to boat. Starfish spirits offer games of chance at low tables on broad open decks under awnings. There are even holes in the bottom of the deck, so players can dip their feet in cool water. A cephalopod band plays upbeat music other spirits and Star Children can dance to in competition with a scavenging of seagull spirits singing sea shanties as loudly as they can two boats over. Far from them, jellyfish spirits offer places to rest in quiet, with curtains drawn and sound dampened. Many spirits offer food and drink—seafood or seafood shaped candy or in the case of mystery flavored taffy, sometimes seafood flavored candy. Those who don't want freshly rolled sushi or take a chance with the candies can always see the Wandering Dog cart on the shore, where the dogs try very hard to be included.

Flotilla Afterparty

Come September, nymphs pop up in the waters and start shooing the boats away until only the houseboats and some submarines remain. Some go off on their lonesome, but more of them form flotillas that float along the coastline continuing their activities and coming to shore to pick up any who wish to join them. A restaurant flotilla, a meditative flotilla, music performance flotillas, and even gambling flotillas. Should people want off and the boats aren't ready to go to shore, sometimes Catbus shows up, able to leap whatever the distance.

Fetchquest

At any time, during the boat festival or smaller flotillas, Star Children may find non-personal items from their home world for sale. It may be a weapon or magical item. These spirits can sense who is from the same world as an item and will only offer them to those Star Children. These aren’t free! After all, these spirits pulled up these items from chests in the water. Star Children will need to do a few favors or barter something else to obtain the item from home. Star Children who help in Vasilisa’s, now mostly staffed by spirits, will find they have an easier time bartering… unless it’s in the Cuttlefish Curiosities shop. If the cuttlefish spirit smells a whiff of the grumpy old octopus spirit who has taken over as chef, that Star Child will have to do twice the work.

Key Points:

🦊 Explore your way to Nereid where the Encantado reaches the shore or get dropped into the water.
🦊 Enjoy an enormous boat festival! All kinds of boats! All kinds of activities!
🦊 In September, the boat festival will split into multiple flotillas floating around the shoreline.
🦊 Do favors or barter goods to receive a non-personal item from home. It may be a weapon or magical item. A magical gun from your world? Yes. Your personal magical gun with your dog’s name engraved in it? No.

Comments

fetchquesting

[thiscruel]

At six-foot-four, it isn't often that Bertolt has to look up at someone. Not since he was a child, at least—and even back then, he was always tall, standing well above his peers. In recent years, the times he has had to look up at a person fall into two distinct categories.

Category one: the person is an ally who has taken on a form far taller than usual, standing at four, fifteen, or seventeen meters tall.

Category two: the person is a Titan standing between two and fifteen meters tall—and they intend to kill him.

As Bertolt looks up at the gigantic woman looming over him, he feels a nervous sweat break out on his forehead, green eyes wide. She isn't a Titan; she looks nothing like one, and the fact that she spoke so eloquently proves it. Furthermore, she certainly isn't behaving like one; there would be chaos if she was. Still, the woman's sheer height is difficult for Bertolt to wrap his head around.

"Um." Not a strong start, but he's trying. "Three hundred and thirty-three … what?"

[ms3meters]

Humans were often intimidated by her size and Mitsuko isn't insulted that the man's nervous around her. If anything, she's pleased: scaring people was her favourite thing to do, even if she isn't trying to do it. She doesn't laugh maniacally like usual but a smirk does grace the woman's lips.

"I'll repeat it thrice if I have to. Do you know where I can get ingredients for three hundred and thirty-three curry buns?" She holds up three fingers for emphasis. "I have to cook that many curry buns so I can purchase a Duel Disk from one of the spirits over there. However, I need to procure the ingredients myself."

[thiscruel]

Bertolt remains rather wide-eyed, not insulted or abashed by that smirk. Truly, he's not trying to be rude; he's just trying to wrap his head around a non-Titan being so tall. But he processes her words better this time, even if he isn't entirely sure he can help.

Curry buns. Given the context, Bertolt guesses that's a kind of food. Unfortunately, he's never had it before, nor does he have any idea what goes in it.

He briefly worries his lower lip with his teeth, then asks, "Do you know what the ingredients are?"

[ms3meters]

"Of course. I once made nothing but curry buns for three weeks straight, you know." Not to mention she ran the bakery, 'Boiled Bagel Requiem' by herself for two whole years.

"Bread flour, cake flower, a little salt, sugar, whole milk, yeast, unsalted butter, eggs, panko and oil. That's for the batter. Then we need curry roux and a meat. If I have to make the roux from scratch, then I'll need some extra curry powder, and additional spices."

"Did you get all that or do I have to repeat myself threefold?"

[thiscruel]

One food for three weeks straight? Either curry buns are unspeakably delicious, or this remarkably tall woman has a particular taste for them. Whatever the case, Bertholdt doesn't need her to repeat the list of ingredients, his surprise having waned enough for him to think clearly.

It's quite the list; he doesn't have an answer for everything. However, he can at least help get her started.

"There's a vendor selling meat in that direction," Bertholdt says, pointing. He had made a note of it, meat having been rare for so many years of his life. "And, um. Most of the ingredients for the batter should be at a grocer four ships that way." He points again, this time in the opposite direction of the meat vendor.

[ms3meters]

"Mmm... I see." Mitsuko's got a good memory (even though sometimes her fantasies do warp said memories), so she takes the comments to heart. It sounded like a lot of stops, which was a little annoying but not unexpected. "Not very convenient for me but I suppose that was why I was asked to do it."

"Oh well. At least I don't have to buy the ingredients. Just trade these for them," She holds up a bag roughly the size of a potato sack, though it looks comically small in her hand. "I would not want to do three extra quests just to be able to complete this one. It'll take long enough as it is."

"If you're not busy, would you mind helping me gather said ingredients? I hate to ask you for another favour but I won't ask for a third."

[thiscruel]

Normally, Bertholdt wouldn't volunteer for such a thing. Not because he's incapable but because he simply doesn't know this person. While he's happy to assist his friends and acquaintances, he's less likely to leap to the aid of strangers.

However, there's a difference between volunteering and being directly asked. Since that's what has happened here, Bertholdt finds himself nodding.

"I'm not busy," he admits honestly. "Do you know what kind of meat you want?"

That would be far easier for him to identify than the ingredients at the grocers.

[ms3meters]

"Thank you, three times over. I'll figure out how to repay you later." She does mean that. She doesn't like leaving unpaid debts.

"Beef, preferably. But I've used chicken thrice before and that would be an acceptable substitute," Mitsuko smiles.

The woman waits for her new guide to escort her. She stretches a little and takes a deep breath.

"Oh, by the way, my name's Hiramori Mitsuko. Lovely to meet you."