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

[apuckalypse]

[Casey looks between the wriggling bun, the condiments, and Hunter, then dumps on a few that look vaguely familiar and lifts it up to look it over.]

...Is... that a spider?

[Why is it still wriggling...]

[pyrighteous]

Probably? I was never super clear on what they're actually made out of.

[ Hunter chomps down on his - and as promised, the legs wriggle frantically for a moment before dying back down. ]

[apuckalypse]

Huh.

[Somehow still not the worst thing he's ever put in his mouth. Following Hunter's lead, he bites the end off with the head, chewing thoughtfully as the legs wiggle their last.]

[pyrighteous]

[ It's crunchy and savory? Kind of pleasant actually, despite the wriggles. The chitin gives it a nice crunch, and the fried spider fuzz around its gooey interior results in a consistency similar to a scotch egg. Good ol' deep fried tastiness.

Hunter looks very pleased with his. ]

I've only had these a couple of times. I - uh, I'm normally not allowed, but Steve bought me one once during a festival when we were both on guard duty.

[apuckalypse]

[The wiggles kind of add to the charm, really, and the crunch is weirdly... nostalgic? Like chewing on grilled rat tail, except he doesn't have to spit out the bone here.]

It's pretty good! [He'll take another bite, one of the legs sticking out of his mouth for a moment before he pulls it in as he chews. So fuzzy, and it's not even mouldy!] Who's Steve? An, uh. Acquaintance back home?

[He almost said friend, but Hunter already established that, so... awkward.]

[pyrighteous]

[ Thanks for eating weird Boiling Isles food with him, Casey. He'd have soured a bit if Casey had complained.

Hunter polishes off his own not-dog quickly, crunching on one of the leftover legs afterwards. ]

Oh. Uh - we were scouts together. Before I became the Golden Guard. I had to prove to my uncle I was up to the task. So that meant scout trials, and then scout duties. We did a lot of patrols together.

[apuckalypse]

[Casey pauses for a moment at that, chewing slowly, then taking another bite to fill his mouth as he mulls that over. Prove himself to his uncle, huh.

Prove he's a good investment...?]

Were you not allowed because of that strict diet you mentioned?

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter nods at that. ]

Yeah! That was hard sometimes, but he was really looking out for me. I have a ton of allergies to food on the Boiling Isles. Like arsenic cookies, and nightshade tea...

[ You know, things that are poisonous to humans. ]

He had to keep me safe.

[apuckalypse]

...Hah?

[He doesn't know anything about nightshade, but he definitely recognizes that arsenic is poison.]

Are arsenic cookies normally... safe... for witches to eat?

[pyrighteous]

Uh - yeah? We grind up apple seeds and make them into a butter to make cookies with, once the apple has been butchered.

[ A totally normal string of words. ]

They have a nice almond sort of taste to them.

[apuckalypse]

[Casey needs a moment because apple seeds have arsenic in them???? what the fu- WAIT WHY IS THE APPLE BUTCHERED-]

...But, uh. Not-dogs aren't... poisonous, right...?

[pyrighteous]

No, no. They're totally safe. I've never been poisoned even once!

[apuckalypse]

[Casey glances back at the stall. Well... it's not surrounded by corpses or anything. He doesn't think Thirteen would bring foods here that would kill the Star Children, and he feels okay. It's probably fine, then.

He scratches idly at one cheek.]

Okay. But, uh. Just so you know, arsenic's poisonous to humans.

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter just sort of squints at that, lightly baffled. ]

Oh. Well - I'm not a human, though. I'm a witch.

[apuckalypse]

[Casey blinks back at him.]

I mean for me! In case you get arsenic cookies someday. I can't eat them either.

[The thought of Hunter not being a witch like he claims is not even remotely on his radar. This is pure self-preservation right now.]

[pyrighteous]

-- Oh! Right. Okay. That - makes way more sense.

[ He might be a BIT SENSITIVE for some reason, ]

I'll be careful not to get you any!

[apuckalypse]

Thanks. [Phew. Non-crisis averted.] -Oh, right! The brooch. Let me grab that real quick.

[He scoots hastily over to the opposing stall, and after a brief exchange with the shopkeep, returns with circular green gemstone inlaid in a gold-coloured setting, with a pin back. He holds it in his palm, gazing curiously at it.]

Wonder if it works, or if it's just decorative.

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter leans in a bit closer, curious. It looks like the objects he has in his world too - very similar. ]

Try it and see?

[apuckalypse]

It's usually made for yokai or mutants, so they can look human. I don't even know if it does anything to actual humans.

[He fixes the brooch to his cloak, giving it a tug to make sure it's secure, then takes a deep breath and taps the center.

And is suddenly shifted into a turtle.]

....Huh? [He looks down at his hands, immediately lurching where he stands.] Huh!?

[pyrighteous]

[ Whoa. Hunter jolts back a bit, also not expecting that. his own cloaking broaches tend to be a bit less severe in effect. ]

-- You're a turtle demon!

[apuckalypse]

[Casey gives his face a few tentative pats (with three fingers! three! what a weird feeling!) and his eyes widen further. His nose is like a snout. His ears are gone. And- he pats at his back. It's much smaller than the rest of the turtles, but is that a shell??]

...I... guess it does work on humans!

[pyrighteous]

[ It sure is a shell. Hunter circles him lightly, peering at him. ]

Huh. That's ... pretty amazing, actually. You look a lot more normal like this.

[ hunter, ]

[apuckalypse]

[huNTER-]

Normal for my family, maybe...

[Humans are normal here, too!!]

[pyrighteous]

Normal for the Isles too. We don't really get humans at all. I'd never met one before Luz.

[apuckalypse]

But aren't there witches that look pretty human, too? If your ears weren't pointy, I'd have thought you were one.

[He can't stop staring at his hands. Where did the other fingers go?]