folkooc | August & September 2023 Test Drive Meme

Entry tags:

*tdm

August & September 2023 Test Drive Meme

August & September 2023 TDM

Introduction

[ TDM Questions ★ Jump to Comments ★ Full Navigation ]
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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Casey watches as he works, a little confused - why does it require taking off the armor...? - but keeps his mouth shut, figuring it would make sense eventually. When he spots the first glyph, though, it clicks and he gets the idea. If Hunter used a glyph to cast one spell, of course he'd use others for more. By the time Hunter explains, showing them all off, Casey's eyes are bright, watching the flame with a hushed fascination. Fire... that had been Master Michelangelo's specialty, and he's always loved to watch it burn and chase the air.]

That's amazing... it must take so much work to memorize all the ways they combine! So cool...

[There's a muted, underlying concern, though he'd never admit it out loud. Impossible to miss all those scars now that they're out and on display, and he's always been an observant kid, so every past injury becomes a thing of note. It's... uncomfortably familiar. Scars, marks, missing parts. Signs of war on every level. His gaze won't linger on anything, though, simply take note like notching a checklist before moving on and shifting focus towards the tattoos. Scars are the past. It's power that shapes the future, prevents more scars from happening later.]

[ There are others too. Fire and light, Casey's seen. Plant is the third, as seen by the vine Hunter summons by pressing a circle on his neck, and ice grows out of a glyph on his shoulder.

He pinks just a bit at the compliment. ]

I - well - I learned some of them myself? The more complicated designs are from my uncle's notes. Like this one.

[ He taps the five-glyph design and - blink. Hunter disappears in a little glimmer of gold light only to reappear directly behind Casey. A short teleport spell. ]

[He's just watching Hunter cycle through each glyph with growing enthusiasm. Such variety! You could do so much with that magic! -Whoa whoa where did heOH GOD BEHIND-

Casey lurches forward, startled, one hand over his heart. It takes a second or two before the impressed smile slowly creeps back across his lips.]

You can teleport too? That's incredible!

[ You know what? That actually gets a smile. A REAL one, nearly a beam. ]

I mean, I could do it before with a staff. But!! Now I know the glyphs too!

[He SHOULD be smiling, because his magic is super cool, like super super cool-]

Both are cool! I couldn't do magic with a staff or glyphs.

[ Hunter gives him a funny look at that. ]

Yes you could. This is literally the same magic the human uses.

[ Like, OBVIOUSLY. How did Casey not know this incredibly basic tenet of magic? Sheesh. ]

[Casey squints at him. What a weird way to say something impossible.]

Most humans can't use magic in my world on their own. You either have to be born into it or borrow it from a witch.

[ Hunter squints RIGHT BACK!! ]

Yes? That's what I just said.

[ He did not. ]

Look, I'll prove to you. If you have something to draw with.

[That's a bold statement, but sure, Casey can play along. He reaches into the hip bag he always carries, withdrawing a little journal and pen, flipping to the back page and offering it out.]

If you say so...

[ Hunter takes the journal and the pen and draws a perfect circle, first. Then he adds some triangle shapes, resulting in this symbol. It's quick - he's clearly quite practiced at doing this on the fly.

When it's done, he tears out the page and holds it out to Casey. ]

Tap the center of it.

[Casey accepts the page, peering dubiously at the symbol for a moment before curiosity catches up to him and, as instructed, he touches a finger to the center. He waits, secretly hopeful, for something to happen.

Except nothing does, even after a few more tapping attempts. Not even a glimmer. He tries not to look disappointed as he glances back at Hunter.]

Like I said…

[ Hunter watches, entirely confident that this will work - and then frowns sharply as it doesn’t. What the heck?? ]

Push on it harder. No - in the middle, not - give me that!

[ once it’s clear nothing is working, Hunter reaches over and taps the symbol. Instantly, the glyph transforms the page into a glowing ball of light, consuming the paper in the process. ]

See? Like that.

[Casey looks a bit annoyed, though it's obviously a conflicted expression because he's also fascinated by the paper activating the light spell. He's not an idiot, he knows how to touch paper, gosh.]

I did the same thing you did, it just didn't work because I can't do magic!

That’s not right! Anyone can do magic like this! Even - even humans and powerless witches!

[ He tries scrawling a different glyph and holds it out to Casey. ]

Try that one.

[Casey accepts the second page, touching its center, and once again a whole lot of nothing happens. He sets the paper down on the sand between them, so he can show Hunter where he's touching it.]

Look, see? It's not working.

[ Hunter flares down at the piece of paper, eying it from all angles. No issue with the design - circle looks good - and when he taps it, the glyph immediately resolves into a small whoosh of fire. ]

… you really can’t do it.

…Nope.

[A little depressing, but Casey isn't surprised. More resigned to what he's always known.]

Maybe… is it because this is a different world than yours? It makes sense that the magic would work differently for me than for you. Most people here only have the same kind of power they had at home.

I - maybe but -

[ He’s so CONFUSED. ]

I normally can’t do magic either.

[That makes Casey blink. He definitely didn't expect that.]

You can't? Is… that what you meant by powerless witches?

[Trying to say it gently- he has no power either, so he can't judge.]

[ Oops. He REALLY hadn’t meant to let that slip. Too late now, and besides, Casey has seen under his armor both figuratively and literally now. ]

I - well - yes. I couldn’t do anything at all. Something was wrong with me.

[ His voice drops to a whisper. ]

My uncle risked a lot taking me on. Powerless witches are worthless in the Isles.

[His words are received with a quick scowl on Casey's part.]

What? That's stupid… nobody's worthless just because they can't do one thing. This just means you cast magic a different way, right? Why does that matter?

[This is a dumb concept! Even if he couldn't use magic at all, he wouldn't be worthless. Casey gets by just fine without, and he's never not found a way to contribute… who are these jerks calling him worthless, Casey will punch them >:( ]

It just does, okay? Every single witch on the Isles can cast normally. That’s just how it IS.

[ Hunter hunches his shoulders. Prejudices exist even in the Boiling Isles after all. ]

I’m barely keeping everything together as the Emperor as it is. If anyone knew I wasn’t a real witch, nobody would listen to me.

[Casey falls silent for a long moment, without a good counter for that one. It's not as if he knows better, since it is Hunter's world. It still doesn't sit right with him. Feels too much like what he's heard about the Earth of the past that he'll be going back to after he leaves this place- where humans are welcome, but yokai and mutants have to hide who they are. People should get to be themselves. If the future had anything going for it, it was that at least just about everyone accepted the rest of his unusual family.

Finally, he sits up a little straighter and speaks up.]

Well… I think your magic is cool, and anyone who thinks it isn't is stupid. But your secret's safe with me.

[ Hunter jolts at that? Turns towards Casey, searching for signs of anything less than absolute sincerity in his face. This is painfully raw for him, and he’s exposing a LOT right now. ]

You - you better not be lying. Promise me.

[ He tries to sound touch, but his voice wobbles too much to achieve that. ]

[He'll find no attempt at deceit in Casey. It's not as if he has anything to gain if he shared such a secret, but even if he did, he wouldn't dream of it. He can see clearly that telling this to the wrong person would be dangerous, and Hunter's trusted him with this information, even if it was shared somewhat accidentally. He wouldn't dare.

Instead he looks resolute and firm as he answers.]

I promise! I swear on my life, nobody will hear that from me.

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