October & November 2023 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

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.

Comments

[cursedwords]

Good thing is they're there all the time so you can just visit as often as you like.

Toge typed the answer and then tapped the table, but she's free to keep looking around, there's no rush on it.

[rueforyou]

"I'd like that very much, thank you!"

And look she does, wandering into a bathroom. The tub looks familiar enough and she's able to guess what the sink does since it looks something like a wash basin, but the rest has her completely flummoxed. She probably looks it, too.

[cursedwords]

When she doesn't reappear, he raises an eyebrow and gets up to check on her and gestures questioningly.

Toge isn't sure what she's confused about, but he's at least got the idea she's confused. "Tuna?"

[rueforyou]

Ophelia gives him a quizzical look. "What is this," she asked, pointing to the showerhead. "And that?" The toilet.

It will come as a massive relief that she no longer has to worry about carrying pitcher after pitcher of water to bathe in and that's after heating the water. And that chamber pots were a thing of the past.

[cursedwords]

Ahhh, those. "Tuna mayo." Toge said, but instead of writing it out, he went over to the shower and turned the tap to let the water run. He adjusts it so it's warm and beckons her over.

Then Toge mimes sticking his hand in. She should feel it! Warm water on command is probably neat if she's never seen it before.

[rueforyou]

Ophelia watched curiously as Toge turned a handle and water started spraying out. At his urging, she came over and stuck her hand into the water like he'd shown her and was delighted to feel hot water. "This is--this is amazing! I never even imagined it was possible, hot water without a fire or lugging jugs of water from place to place," she said with a wide smile.

[cursedwords]

He wipes his hand on his pants like any lazy teenager would and pulls out his relic again.

I'd guess you're from sometime in the past to me if you haven't seen this. It's cool right? No one wants a cold shower. The other one is the toilet. Kind of a similar idea, you use it and then press on the handle and your waste is transported elsewhere.

Toge can't describe these systems in detail to save his life, but he knows how to use things.

[rueforyou]

A smile twitched at the sides of Ophelia's mouth.

"Really, if I didn't know better, I'd assume that Mechtild's potion was a little too potent and I really was in Heaven."

[cursedwords]

He chuckles every so slightly behind his face covering.

Nah, if you're dead, I'd have to be dead and I'm not yet. It's a pretty comfortable way to use the bathroom anyway.

[rueforyou]

She smiles at that.

"It all seems like magic, but it's," she stumbles over the word, "technology? I think I like it very much. It seems to make life so much easier."

[cursedwords]

"Salmon." Toge agrees, it's technology - but don't ask him how to explain it. He's never questioned it, it just is. As backwards as his clan was, they had modern amenities.

And thank god, he thinks he would've died without the internet.

[rueforyou]

She wouldn't understand an explanation if she got it. Instead, Ophelia chooses to take it as part of her new reality, something that's there and to be depended upon.

"I do think I like it here," she said with a warm smile.

[cursedwords]

He gives her a thumbs up. Good. Toge thinks this place is pretty great and he hopes she thinks so too.

He gestures around a moment before picking up his relic again.

Anything else you want to check out before going out to see the stalls? There's nothing really secret in my apartment or anything.

[rueforyou]

Ophelia is still looking around, but more with wonder than anything else. She can't believe that such things are possible, can't believe she's been chosen to take part in it.

"No, I'm in awe of everything. I never believed that such things were possible, even in stories."

[cursedwords]

With that, he pockets his relic and beckons her then, heading back to his patio door. What kind of person goes through the building when they don't have to?

Toge waits for her to come through before shutting it and gesturing.

"Tuna tuna." He points. That direction. There's all kinds of food trucks to find.

[rueforyou]

Even the concept of patios is surprising to her. They didn't have anything like that back home, unless one counted the gardens.

Ophelia grins. "On to the food?" She can smell hints of it, spices she's never smelled before, but is eager to try.

[cursedwords]

"Salmon!" Toge cheers as he leads the way. The door being shut is all it takes, he can't be bothered to lock up. No one's ever tried to steal from him anyway.

[rueforyou]

Ophelia is surprised to see a lack of concern about locks. In the halls of the King of Denmark, everyone was more afraid of being caught at their relative sins than they were willing to face them.

Spices she has no name for fill the air as they approach the vendors. She finds herself drawn to an Indian cart. "What are the names of the spices I smell? They're the sort that would take decades to reach Denmark, if they ever did at all."

[cursedwords]

He's not well versed on the history of the world, nor really at geography, so he can't really give her indications if that will happen or not. Toge's not the best student. His grades are definitely being carried by his athletics.

This kind of food has things like turmeric, cumin, coriander, cardamom, probably garam masala. There's a lot of different spices in this cuisine and it tends to run a little hot.

[rueforyou]

While Ophelia's value was mostly seen in her intelligence, at least at first. Then her father chose to try and manipulate herself into the orbit of Hamlet. Too bad for him that she already was. Which her father never would have guessed.

"I've heard of those spices, but only among those who sought the New World. Denmark is entirely too small and poor to try and reach those for themselves."

[cursedwords]

Then you should definitely try them. Some of those spices have come to Japan and made it into Japanese dishes, like curry. But our curry is different from theirs. Not very hot, sweeter.

Toge loves that he can get different foods at the carts and Indian food is no exception. He'd like to replicate it, but he needs to learn a little more about it before he can.

[rueforyou]

"I don't know which I'd prefer! I do love sweets when we get them from the kitchen, but spicy sounds interesting, too. Maybe I could try a little of each? Do they do that?"

It's like the basic cornucopia she had at court has opened further to the entire world and she's fascinated with all of the possibilities, wanting to try it all but sure she can't eat that much at once.

[cursedwords]

Toge waves his hand back and forth. They don't really do that, but as long as she has the lore she can order everything she wants. Considering they've been hanging out awhile? She definitely does.

You could get a bunch and bring the leftovers home. They'll keep. Your place with have a fridge like mine and the cool will keep them fresh for a few days.

[rueforyou]

She's so pleased that they get along so well. It's nice to already have a friend, it makes being here much less daunting. And she's always wanted to be social, it's just that the other ladies were jealous that a girl with no noble blood was Gertrude's favorite.

"That's a wonderful idea! There's so many things these machines can do. Things I'm sure would've been received with delight back home."

[cursedwords]

Toge snaps his fingers a little bit. Hang on, he's got a great idea. He pulls out his spoon and holds it out over the ground. "Umeboshi."

Out of thin air comes an insulated bag, good for hot and cold food, in a cube style meant to be carried on the back. He gestures excitedly at her. Now she could really fill it up with the various foods she wanted to try and carry it home.