folkooc | October & November 2023 Test Drive Meme

Entry tags:

*tdm

October & November 2023 Test Drive Meme

October - November 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]

Candy Man . ★

Content Warnings: Potential nonconsensual physical changes

Tides doesn’t have a farmer’s market. However, it does have a regular artists’ fair. Spirits—and Star Children—can set up stalls to offer art they have already made or to make it right before people. On the spot commissions! It’s a great way to see a wide spread of the art available in Tides, on rare occasions even Jewelia’s own.

Within the artists’ fair is a makers’ square where everyone is invited to join an artist in learning to make some kind of art. It might be painting and wine. Lithography. Embroidery. You name it. Seriously, feel free to put a suggestion in the box of what Star Children would be interested in. The artists leading the space don’t all teach at Jewelia Academy. This could be the only chance to learn from them!

This time it’s making salt water taffy. Spirit Children can learn how to complete the process from start to finish with a bit of an arm workout. If they aren’t interested in or cannot handle the arm workout pulling the taffy, they can help a spirit wherever they’re interested. There is any flavor Spirit Children can imagine to flavor their taffy, even ones only found in their home worlds. Share a little culture!

Star Children may keep up to half of the taffy they make, but the rest will be offered to everyone coming through the makers’ square in the artists’ fair. Perhaps it’ll encourage other Star Children to make their own! Star Children, whether they make taffy or simply take free samples, will find that eating taffy can have an effect on them.

Eating taffy made by Legends will give Star Children color changing eyes that give away their mood, just like Legends. Eating taffy made by Myths will give Star Children horns, claws, or a tail that grows larger when they react more logically and less emotionally. Eating taffy made by Familiars will give Star Children animal features. These effects last from one-six hours.

Eating taffy made by Spirits has no effect at all!

🦊 Star Children can attend an artists’ fair and make salt water taffy.
🦊 Eating salt water taffy made by Star Children will give temporary features of that kind of Star Child.
🦊 Eating salt water taffy made by Spirits has no effect.

Creative Block Castles . ★

Content Warnings: Pocket universe, ~~dungeon~~ castle crawl, forced relocation

One of the many food carts in Tides serves homemade ice cream. The fox spirit serving it promises that it will provide a jolt of inspiration—even to Star Children who cannot eat. Even holding a cone or cup of the ice cream can jolt someone’s imagination, the fox says. It’s free as part of the welcome to Tides, but no one has to accept it, not even to hold. The fox spirit won’t cajole anyone, and Star Children can go along their way.

At least a few hours later, long enough to have forgotten the offer or to get frustrated by the lack of promised inspiration, Star Children fall down down down into a painted, sculpted, sidewalk chalked, or otherwise artistically bent world. They are as artistically made as the rest of the world around them. They match it, as do their one to three companions who arrive with them. They may be friends or strangers. They are compatriots in this strange world.

Whether starting deep in the bowels or high in a tower, this artistic world is that of a castle. A unique castle to each Star Child host. Elements of its design, decor, and mechanisms tie back to a creative endeavor of the host. For the castle is a direct manifestation of whatever project the Star Child host experiences creative block around, whether that’s art or science or anything else. It’s baked into the design. Not only that, the castle is under attack! Dragons or monsters or knights, oh my! Whatever attacks, the very creative idea may crumble if it doesn’t get solved.

Star Children who ate the ice cream will have an easier time shoring up defenses, buying time to think, and even experiencing a breakthrough moment of inspiration. Any companions who ate the ice cream will have an easier time helping the host. Regardless, the only way out is a breakthrough or to see the idea fall to uninspired ruin. Which will it be?

When a group breaks through, they return to Tides with up to four nearly identical dollhouse castles. A miniature doll of one party member will be in each dollhouse. The doll will also have a miniature version of an item from home. Take it from one’s doll, and it becomes lifesize. It may even be a magical item or weapon.

🦊 Star Children will be offered homemade ice cream by a fox spirit.
🦊 Star Children will be transported into an artistic world set within a castle under attack.
🦊 1-3 other Star Children will join the host.
🦊 Escape by breaking through the host’s creative block.
🦊 Star Children whose groups break through will receive a personal item from home. It may even be a magical item or weapon.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ophelia had never seen such clothes as the young man approaching her was wearing. She was most curious about the cloth over his mouth, wondering if he'd had the plague and was trying to keep it from spreading.

But he seemed willing to help and the cloth would surely protect her from the plague, so she smiled welcomingly.

And became vexed again when he indicated he hadn't known what would happen upon arrival. It seemed like a rather large piece of information to withhold!

"Oh. Were you ever given any kind of reason for that being your role? It seems rather unfair to not mention such things beforehand."

He definitely did not have the plague, although he got that a lot at home if he was out with a mask instead of a collar or a scarf. Either way, Toge chuckles. "Salmon."

That likely doesn't make much sense to her but he's already typing another, more expansive message.

Nope, none. It's kind of the eternal question around here, but I would guess it's because there's someone I would do anything to support without question. Or, maybe she just closed her eyes and picked. It's really hard to guess the whims of gods.

An understandable query! Though, it was unlike any plague doctor's mask she'd ever seen in books, most of them looked like terrifying blackbirds. It made Ophelia wonder if the intent was to scare the sickness out of people and thought it would likely work.

And she looks confused. "Salmon? Like the fish?"

"Is that what being a Familiar means? Having someone you'd support in that way? If so, I ought to be a familiar as well, given that I'd do anything to protect my daughter." And she smiles ruefully. "Then she's another god I'd like to have a word with, although I can still hear my father say not to question the will of God." Her smile turns impish. "But he never said a word about fox gods!"

He nods a little bit. It's a rice ball ingredient, all of his safe words are.

I think so, but I can't be sure. Toge says before holding up a finger to add more to it.

I don't know much about her, but she has a lot of forms. They keep showing up. She's never really offered an explanation except we're supposed to reach our full potential. Whatever that is.

And likely an ingredient she's never seen, given medieval life in Denmark. But one she'll become acquainted with soon enough.

She nods, waiting for him to continue. She couldn't help being curious about every aspect of the strange new place she'd went to. Of her own free will, yes, but she's beginning to gain the understanding that not all of the requirements or effects were told.

"What? No real help? But potential can be reached in so many ways! Even potential itself looks different from person to person, what might make me happy would be a misery to another." She sighs. "She truly doesn't answer questions? For now I have many."

Not as far as I know. You're stuck with the rest of us, I think.

Toge does smile though behind his mask, so at least he's perhaps the friendly sort? He is, for the most part.

It's not so bad. You can get yourself a comfortable place to stay.

"Wonderful! I miss my daughter already." And she sighs. "But...Thirteen wasn't lying about another version of us living our lives back home, was she? I don't want to think of her being left to the nuns."

But yes, as far as a welcome goes, he's doing quite well. Informative and kind.

"I suppose that means I'm here to stay, doesn't it? Very well, my name is Ophelia. I'm from Helsingør, in Denmark. May I ask your name and where you're from? And perhaps ask how long you've been here?"

I've been home recently, but I didn't remember this place when I went back and I don't think I noticed missing anything, so it's hard to say. I can't confirm anything, sorry.

Hopefully, that's right. No one had noticed he was missing, and if he had been - it would've been a problem. Both for him when he returned, and for his classmates. So something must still be working while he was there.

Toge nodded a little bit at her question. She was meant to stay, at least for awhile.

I'm Toge Inumaki, and I'm from Tokyo, Japan. I've been here about six months though...except for my recent trip home which felt like a couple of weeks but no time had really passed here.

Ophelia shudders. "How very strange. I don't like the idea of another being or set of circumstances having so much sway over my mind. Or over my daughter's mind." But she smiled reassuringly. "If there was anything you could have done, what would be the reason for holding back? So there's no need to apologize, not to me."

She hoped that one day, she'd be able to leave the nunnery with her daughter, but circumstances being what they were, too many people would love to get their hands on the daughter of Prince Hamlet and most of them wouldn't have the best interests of her daughter in mind.

And Ophelia sighed softly.

"I've never heard of either of those places. What are they like? And--six months? With no guidance? That must be awful. Even more awful to be brought back after having a taste of home again."

Yuta was hoping I could change things. I couldn't, because I didn't remember.

Toge wiggles what remains of his left arm to make his point. The disaster that befell him and everyone else still happened, even if Yuta warned him. So it's strange. It's hard to know what the best course of action is.

He does, however, smile.

I don't know, I kind of like it. No adult supervision. Toge jokes, which when you're seventeen, that's probably more impactful than if one was older.

"Yuta is a friend of yours? Here? I'd imagine that must have been a disappointment, but if you didn't remember, you couldn't remember what you needed to do to change things."

She hadn't noticed the missing piece of his arm at first. Denmark hadn't been far from its last war, seeing former soldiers with their sleeves or trousers pinned up to a point hadn't been all that unusual, but she felt badly about not noticing it before.

She smiles back, hoping she's made her first friend in this strange place.

And that makes her laugh. "I can understand that! My father--God rest his soul--meant well, I think, but he had the tendency to poke his nose into things."

Toge nods a little bit at her questions about Yuta, and he doesn't look too bothered by her looking. He's not going to worry about his arm, such as it is. He can't do anything about it.

He smiles.

Not my parent, but I'm from somewhere where someone's always watching. It's annoying, you know.

"That must be something of a relief, to have someone who already knows you here."

She doesn't know yet that this place can bring back the dead, or else she's be hoping for Hamlet to arrive.

"I do know. Especially when that someone watching has unlimited power over you."

He smiles and nods at that. It's nice having Yuta there for a lot of reasons, the least of which being is that they are best friends and he's never had someone he's gotten along with so well before. He's glad to have him as much as he can.

That's true. That's how it is for me too. There's nothing I can do about it but comply. My whole life was decided when I was born.

Ophelia had never had friends among Gertrude's other ladies, too interested in books and nature and adventure while their interests tended towards matrimony and matrimony alone. Though, she supposed she made a hypocrite of herself in the end, falling so hard for Hamlet that they were wed soon after their love bloomed.

"You as well, then? Was your father particularly overbearing? Mine was."

He waved his hand side to side again. Sort of, he was saying with his gesture.

Not necessarily him, but the whole clan was in on it. And the elders. Some ancestor of mine did something stupid and has made my life hell generations later. I don't even know what they did.

That was something of a universal gesture, conveying his sentiment perfectly.

"Is there any way to make amends for what the ancestor did? It seems completely unfair to visit the consequences on you when it was another who actually did the deed. Isn't it said in the Bible that the sins of the father shall not be visited upon the son?" She felt entirely indignant on his behalf and it likely showed.

No. My clan was ousted because of it, there's a million different trickle down effects that affect everyone, not just me. I'm the only one like myself right now. Any ancestors that had this technique are long dead. It was really unlucky.

There was a lot of political nonsense surrounding it all. Toge was just a victim of it, it wasn't like he was involved. It affected everything, including his relationships with his peers.

"I'm so sorry," she breathed. "Are there maybe any journals or letters from those who had it before you can read and learn from? Perhaps they could be a comfort."

Ophelia's heart went out to him. It was one thing to suffer as a result of one's own actions, but to be punished for the actions of a long-ago ancestor? It was cruel. Entirely unfair and not right. And it scared her because what if her daughter was subjected to the same punishment as the rest of her family? It made her blood run cold.

He shook his head. Even if there were, his clan wouldn't let him get at them, and even if they did that meant he'd have to go back to the estate which he was avoiding at all costs until they summoned him.

It's not that big of a deal if I know or not. I'm not with them anymore since I went to school and I like school, mostly. Although this place is better. No one's bothering me here.

Ophelia would consider that cruel of his clan, but understand. After all, hadn't her father and Claudius used her to try and get to Hamlet's inner self? She hadn't been expecting Hamlet to renounce their love and scream at her to go to a nunnery.

"I'm glad. Glad that you found a place where you could be you. Everyone deserves such a place." And she begins to wonder if this could be such a place for her? Perhaps?

Something like that, I think. I don't mind it. Doesn't seem like I missed that much at home anyway. Injury aside, but it seemed like it was waiting for him. It wasn't like he completely missed it by hanging out in Folkmore.

If you tell me what kind of place you would like to live, I could direct you.

"Perhaps not. Home isn't always the best for us," Ophelia conceded. After all, Denmark was conquered, Fortinbras of Norway on its throne. She had no doubt that as the mother of Hamlet's daughter, a little princess, both of their lives would be forfeit if they went back to court.

"I would like to stay somewhere with much green, growing things. Trees, flowers gardens, both for pleasure and for work. I loved the outdoors far more than any of the other ladies at court, they were content to stay indoors and practice their embroidery. I wanted the adventure the outdoors promised. Still want, I suppose. Otherwise, I never would have followed the Fox when she offered."

That's probably true for him, this place is better, but he doesn't need to worry about it for now. So he doesn't. He can just have a little fun while he can have it. He knows what that is like.

He thought about that for a moment and smiled.

Leshy. You could live in a tree house! Or The Burrows are good, small and cramped though, it's like living in the side of a mountain or hill.

If she had her daughter with her, this new land would be perfect. If she had her daughter and Hamlet somehow, it would be a heaven. She wondered if that was why she'd been blessed with wings befitting the Archangel Gabriel. If only they weren't so heavy!

"A tree...house? A house among trees? That's a possibility? And the Burrows sound cozy. Both of them have gardens or wouldn't mind if I planted one?"

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