Entry tags:

*tdm

December 2023 & January 2024 Test Drive Meme

December 2023 - January 2024 TDM

Introduction

Overflow TDM post found here

[ TDM Questions ★ Jump to Comments ★ Full Navigation ]
This Test Drive meme is open to all.
Welcome to Folkmore's monthly 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]

Thirteen Knows What You Did Last Summer . ★

Content Warnings: School Detention, Time Not Passing, Forced Reflection/Confession, Potential Violence

Welcome to detention. Star Children, whether they're new arrivals to Folkmore or old hands, find themselves sitting at two person desks in a library. Perhaps there's only two Star Children, perhaps up to four or five. Regardless, each Star Child has a slip of paper in their hands which spells out why they are in detention, a secret detention slip no one else can read. Which, whew, because the reason any Star Child is in detention is for something they've never been punished for, something they might reasonably have thought they got away with, something they know was wrong.

The door to the library opens, and Kuma Lisa enters. She explains that Star Children will be in detention for four hours, and by the end of detention, they will need to reflect on what they did and express contrition. The headmistress gives no further guidance before leaving and closing the doors behind her.

Four hours is a notable chunk of time, but it's not so long, is it? Surely it's possible to wait it out without making good on the assignment… Or perhaps it's enough to write about it in one of the notebooks on the table in front of each student, without explaining it to another soul. Star Children are welcome to try whatever they want. However, they may notice an oddity with the clock. Namely, no matter how many times the second hand ticks around a circle to mark a whole minute, the minute and hour hands don't progress. It's the same minute over and over and over—

Detention is four hours, but how long four hours takes is entirely up to the Star Children in detention. Read every book in the library. Throw a dance party. Get high. Pull weapons out of the books. All matter of non-magical weapons. Nothing immediately happens upon pulling those weapons—no monsters to make detention less boring. Unless people make progress reflecting on their transgression, communicating about it with another Star Child, and showing penitence for it, time won't pass. Reality warps to stay in the same minute, minute after minute, hour after hour.

What's it going to be? Never ending detention or personal accountability?

However long it takes, it only takes four hours in the realm of Folkmore.

A word of warning to those who grabbed weapons, they will be attacked on their way home after detention. They will be attacked by creatures out of storybooks. Star Children will need to know the literary weaknesses of these creatures, good luck, or the help of someone else coming along who does know their weaknesses. At least there's some excitement in the day after four long long hours.

🦊 Star Children, new and old, in groups of 2-5 are in detention for something they did wrong & haven't been punished for.
🦊 Kuma Lisa explains detention lasts four hours, and people have to express regret for what they did by the end.
🦊 Time doesn't pass unless Star Children make progress toward that assignment.
🦊 It always takes four hours in Folkmore time.
🦊 Star Children who draw weapons from books during detention will be attacked on their way home.

To Prank or to be Pranked . ★

Content Warnings: Theft, Glitter Bombs, Minor Power Nerfing

There's a problem with the nonexistent mail delivery system in Folkmore. Gifts are being delivered to residents' addresses—their correct addresses, even if they live in the woods—but those recipients, written on a fat cream label, cannot pick them up, teleport them, or otherwise move them under their own power. These gifts sit in garish and contrasting colors that make certain to draw attention to themselves. Hello, here they are.

Anyone else can pick these packages up, from the person next door to a stranger walking by. There's so many gifts around it's easy to pick one up, remove the label, and go on one's way. Few people are home all the time, and even if they are, what are they going to do? Pick it up themselves? Ha! It's free ~~real estate~~. Star Children with abilities to see inside the packages can see something they want badly within as extra motivation to go for it.

When Star Children open their ill gotten gains, these packages explode in a glitter bomb that coats everyone within a ten foot radius. This glitter is impossible to wash out, magic away, or otherwise remove for twenty-four hours. Walk, swim, fly, or otherwise go about with glittery evidence of the crime committed.

Almost always. If it were guaranteed, where would the fun be in that?

The rare fortunate criminal or the original recipient, helped by another Star Child, will receive an item from home. This may even be a weapon or magical item. Those who receive an item will stop receiving gifts on their doorstep, whether they stole the gift or received it from a package addressed to them. They can keep stealing other people's gifts, but they will only receive a glitter bomb from then on.

Mischievous Star Children can even prank each other by changing the label and redelivering packages to someone else. Should that person get help to bring the gift inside, it still isn't their gift, not really, so it too will explode in glitter.

🦊 Gifts appear outside Star Children's residences, even those without residences.
🦊 Recipients cannot pick up the gift but any other Star Child can.
🦊 Almost all stolen gifts explode in a glitter bomb that leaves glitter for 24 hours.
🦊 Star Children can receive an item from home, even a weapon or magical item.
🦊 Star Children can prank each other by changing the labels/moving the packages.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It takes more cursed energy to attack the wolves without a cursed tool. Nanami is not someone who makes cursed tools, so it's only his energy wrapped around the dagger that makes it more effective than a basic dagger. The limitation of the wrapping helps, but it's nothing like his usual blade.

He recognizes Toge nearly immediately—what happened to his arm?—and stays out of his way. A simple command, and Toge's a first grade sorcerer, but these wolves don't use cursed energy, so he's not sure of their strength. The city is directly behind them with civilians in it. Perhaps there's some way to lead the wolves away and remove the threat without killing them, but Nanami doesn't have the information to ensure civilian safety, nor Toge's.

His strikes hit between the shoulders and the top of the head at the critical point, one after another. It's easy with frozen targets. It's a sad loss of life, made all the more apparent when the wolves' bodies don't disappear the way a curse does. These are flesh and blood creatures. Nanami's shoulders slump.

"Can you help me bury them?" he asks.

His actual grade is a matter of technicality, but Toge's always had the skills. He was more than careful enough, Nanami was never at any risk of being hit by his technique.

Toge pulls the zip back up on his collar and flashes Nanami a victory sign. "Salmon."

From the look of his cargo pants, he's only using his right pockets, which makes a lot of sense. The lower one holds his spoon. "Umeboshi." Toge gives his desire and a shovel appears out of nowhere. He puts it away before picking up the shovel and looking around for somewhere appropriate to dig nearby. A tree ought to do it.

Nanami observes Toge's use of his spoon to summon a shovel and supposes what the fox said on the walk over is the truth. It's one thing to hear the rules of this new sorcery but another to witness it live and to see someone like him use it. It beats using the dagger or a stick. Nanami pulls out his own spoon and copies the same technique (except he doesn't say a food ingredient, concerned that in his case he would get fruit).

He receives a standard issue shovel as well, marvels at that a moment, and gets back to business. He finds the largest tree within ten meters and starts digging under its branches. Nanami says, "Thank you, Inumaki." He could have handled it, but it went far easier with the other sorcerer's help. Much as he dislikes the students being asked to step up as adults—and Toge more than most gets sent on his own—he still appreciates the act itself.

In Nanami's case, he probably would. Toge just finds it easier to 'request' what he wants, in whatever form that takes. The spoon clearly understands him, so it hasn't been an issue for him at all.

"Tuna mayo." He says conversationally, and while it's a bit of a struggle with one arm, Toge can in fact dig a hole. He's using his feet a little more to compensate, but he's strong enough to lift that much dirt with one arm.

He doesn't need to converse while helping, both hole digging and then moving the bodies into place.

Nanami does as much of the digging and the dragging as he can. He has two functional arms and is the adult. He also ended their lives. It's his responsibility. They dig in silence and carry over the wolves' bodies, heads, and severed leg. It's a waste of life, but Nanami looks over the corpses and gives them a moment of solemnity and respect, muttering a few words on their behalf.

He gives a nod toward the student and starts filling the hole back in again. Once it's full, he looks over at Inumaki Toge and the clear physical difference from earlier the night he died. Something happened then or something happened since he died. Death doesn't exactly keep one in the loop.

"Do you mind talking about what happened?" Nanami asks, motioning toward the absent arm.

It's a bit harder, but everything tends to be and Toge's adjusting as well as can be expected. He's never been afraid of hard work, and even though Nanami is quicker than he is, he's not doing nothing. Once finished, he leans a bit lazily over the shovel and tilts his head at the question.

"Fish flakes." He says agreeably, at the same time making an unknown gesture with his hand. It's becoming a habit. He doesn't mind too much. It's just a thing that happened. While his evaluator...ex-evaluator really, is likely to understand yes and no just fine, he's not likely to understand the nuance and inflection of every word. So he pulls out his relic, like he often does.

Caught up in Sukuna's domain in Shibuya. I think, if I remember right from Yuta, you were in the area after that went off. I was probably slashed a few dozen times, small cuts, but my arm got the worst and deepest. Yuta thought he could restore it, but he can't. Probably because of how I lost it.

While it's possible to get through what happened eventually via yes or no questions as Nanami makes guesses, texting is the more efficient option. Since it's about Inumaki himself and not relevant to any evaluation, assessment, or other formal process, it's completely up to Inumaki both whether to talk about it and how he wishes to talk about it.

Sukuna at Shibuya is a nightmare scenario. Per the records, his domain doesn't seal itself off from the world, which allows it to affect a larger radius. Sukuna wasn't in the center of Shibuya since much of the station, what of it Nanami saw, stood. Was he in the other domain when this happened? Was he simply beyond its range? Nanami can't claim luck was on his side, not when Mahito reached him when he was too weak to protect his soul. He's sorry Inumaki was caught up in it though. Outside the range of the original curtain, he should have been safer than the sorcerers inside. That was the thought, but so many of the assistant managers were murdered. No one was safe. There was no safe place to be that night.

It's not the right moment to reveal he died. Inumaki has enough going on, and here Nanami isn't dead. "It's impressive you only lost the one arm," Nanami says. "It's not Yuta's fault he couldn't heal you. Damage to the soul... is different.

"But it is possible to shield your soul with cursed energy." Inumaki has so much cursed energy, he could devote a large portion of it to protecting his soul if only he masters it. Yes, that would be a good skill for him to learn.

His safety at the point he was able to join the fray was the least of the Elders' concerns. It's beyond a nightmare scenario, and it had shaken him to his core in the heat of the moment. It's not something Toge's going to forget anytime soon.

I'm not blaming him. It is what it is. Voice still works fine, it's not like I got fired. I was managing civilians and taking out a couple hundred of those mutated curses, but Sukuna's domain killed all of them.

It's disappointing and a failure of a sort, but he blames Sukuna. He did his job. He was doing it. He didn't think anyone thought he could take Sukuna on, and he didn't try.

I don't doubt that, cursed energy can do a lot of things, obviously.

But they don't teach him that.

The Elders have many flaws, most notably the active desire to kill many children and the passive indifference to their deaths, should it serve a purpose or be the cost of business. Nanami hates it, and it's why he gets along as well as he does (when he does) with Gojo. Inumaki Toge shouldn't be treated like that. There's so much more he can learn to become the best jujutsu sorcerer he can be. Even they should understand the value of investing some time and effort into the kid in order to get more use out of him, but they're too short sighted.

"Their deaths aren't your fault," Nanami says, even if he's the only one to ever say it.

He considers the matter of protecting the soul. Mahito recognized that Nanami protected his soul subconsciously. He knows the technique, even if he doesn't understand it. If he can do that, he can do more. "If I figure that technique out, I would like to teach it to you."

"Salmon." Toge agrees, with a definitive nod. He did not think he was to blame, and is nice to hear.

His expression softens a little bit. "Salmon."

I don't mind, there's not that much to do around here officially. It's kind of weird like that. I've been learning sign language and hanging out with Yuta. Oh and Gojo's around too, that's new. Except he's our age.

That provides Nanami with a solid first goal for a method to help the kids. They can all learn to protect their soul. It should prove useful against a whole series of attacks. Including Sukuna's. It won't save them should they be the direct focus of Sukuna's attention, but it may mitigate damage in situations like Inumaki's, where they are collateral damage.

Inumaki. Okkatsu. ... Gojo. Nanami stares at the screen longer than it takes to read the words. It's simple information. A succinct statement of the facts (Nanami appreciates that). However, it's also difficult to accept as real information. Besides, the moment he came from, he looked like his younger self. Perhaps... perhaps that is what is happening with Gojo. The man acts seventeen all the time.

"Hmmm," Nanami says in recognition of the justifiably questionable information. Yet worse than his own death, he doesn't want to talk about what comes after. So he focuses on the first part. He's glad Inumaki doesn't have missions to go on. It means he gets to be a kid, the way he's supposed to. Nanami can be grateful for that.

"Are you taking other classes besides sign language?" Nanami asks. This place has a school—he arrived in its library—so it's good to hear of Inumaki attending a normal or at least non-jujutsu sorcerer school.

He smiles, looking wildly amused at that and shakes his head. "Fish flakes." Toge's tone is chuckling. Definitely not, not school.

Someone I know here is teaching me, and Yuta's learning it with me too so I don't have to rely on texting. It's fine when I'm not with someone but it's weird face to face. There's no real good way to communicate with people anyway.

There's always a learning curve. Either they learn riceball language, or sign language, or they have to read what he wants. It's a little isolating, honestly, but he's also used to it. He's willing to put the work in. He has to be.

I do training at Agrona all the time to get my skills up. Now that this happened. He waves his stump a little bit, the sleeve moves. I'm working on retraining. It's affecting me a lot.

The mildest flash of disappointment crosses Nanami's face. Private lessons aren't a bad thing in and of themselves, but school is important. He attended school in the non-jujutsu world before he was discovered, and Nanami is sure that time did more to ground him than anything he learned in jujutsu. It's simply not what they focus on, not what they care about. Yet it's vital to living one's life.

"I would like to learn this sign language," Nanami says, "though perhaps at a school if it's being offered there." He's an adult, but he's not above going to school to learn things he needs to learn. It's a sign of maturity. He certainly doesn't want Inumaki to have no real good way to communicate with him. When it was only missions, it didn't matter so much. Here? It matters.

He's still not especially pleased that the only formal training Inumaki is receiving is yet again in combat. Even combat that's not jujutsu sorcery is combat. Yet it's how the world has valued Inumaki his entire life. "It's a major adjustment," Nanami agrees, "If we were back in Japan, you could be connected with someone else who has lost a limb. Is there anyone else here who has been through a similar injury? Perhaps they could provide you with some insight."

Toge is not a great student. He passes, but his foundational knowledge is weak at best and that has to do with not having learned it. He struggles, but he hangs in there. The opportunity to avoid homework? All the better.

He doesn't know if such a thing would be taught in school, it seems kind of niche doesn't it? Although, outside of Jedao, he's spoken to another girl who uses it.

Jedao teaches me, mostly by talking to me and then I copy him. Yuta copies me. It's very unstructured, but his vocabulary is getting better and better.

I can't think of anyone, but I know some people must have fake limbs, Matthew mentioned something like that. I upgraded some stuff in my kitchen so I could keep cooking. Toge smiles at that, he's proud of that, and it's good training. He's just more tired than he used to be.

Mild disappointment gets tempered by the fact it's childish behavior to avoid school when it's not compulsory. Inumaki is acting like a child in a way he has previously not been permitted. Whatever his education before Jujutsu Tech, Nanami is sure it was his clan's choice, not his.

If Okkatsu is not imposing upon this teacher, perhaps Nanami best not either. It's an inefficient method of learning a language, but it is the one children use when first acquiring language. The early development stage preventing them all from remembering years without language skills, understanding or speaking. "I would like to copy you as well," Nanami says, "if you do not mind."

Prosthetics do provide some measure of functionality to return, but so far as Nanami is aware, they do not entirely make up for the injury that was done. Even with what they can do, they take adjustment to. "Good work with your kitchen. It may be worthwhile to figure out who those people are."

"Tuna mayo." Toge responds all too cheerfully, he doesn't mind at all, although he's holding his relic at the moment to communicate. It's easier to do when he can set it down somewhere, and eventually they don't need it half as much. That's what's happened with Jedao and Yuta to different degrees. It's incredibly liberating to have more ways to express himself - he knows the people who should've taken care of this don't care what he has to say, but that's not universal.

Maybe. I usually cook dinner, Yuta's been helping me. It's not all bad, he gets to eat it so. I think he'd be hopeless without me! An amusing flare of teenage dramatics, Toge isn't immune to them, it's just that people don't usually know that about him.

You must've just come here. I can take you around if you want, Nanami-san, and feed you. I do that a lot.

An affirmative. While Nanami may not understand Inumaki as his peers do, he knows that much. They are, however, standing in a forest with a shovel apiece. It's not exactly conducive to signing. Also given the wolf attack, the location isn't the safest. His senses have remained tuned, but Nanami knows better than to mistake a moment of calm for safety.

"I'll take your word for it," Nanami deadpans about Okkatsu's uselessness. It's hard to consider any special grade sorcerer hopeless, but Nanami wouldn't want to rely on Gojo for dinner unless the alternative was certain death. He's only really seen Inumaki on missions. Nanami generally minimizes his time with students because the point is to avoid the need to have them in the field in the first place.

They have been stuck in one location for this conversation due to the need to use text to communicate. "I appreciate it, Inumaki," Nanami says, "Please do." He motions for the kid to take the lead.

Toge's certain that Yuta would've enjoyed a lot more of the fine cuisine outside of his apartment if he wasn't feeding him and he'd survive, but he didn't think Yuta would take up cooking. He couldn't be talented at everything, after all.

He nods and puts his relic back in his pocket so he can hoist his shovel up onto his shoulder. That way he could balance it on his arm and he could use his hand for pointing things out.

It was a bit of a win-win that way. He was a bit far from his apartment, but they weren't far from one of the many dining options, and Toge certainly had enough spoons to get them a meal, so he started to walk back towards town.

"Mentaiko." Toge answers, he doesn't really mind. This place is neat, there's a lot to see, it's very different and he's been there awhile.

Nanami made enough money when he was alive to pay for many of his needs to be completed by others. As a corporate man, he always felt their work was more important than anything he did. As a jujutsu sorcerer, he still values the baker who bakes his bread, the butcher who prepares the meat, the distillery that makes his drinks, but as terrible of work as it is, his work helps other people. He may never see the effects himself, but he can know he made a difference. Did something worthwhile. Nanami was still compensated well enough to have many things taken care of and focus his efforts on his work.

Folkmore will be different, at least to an extent. If these types of wolf attacks are common, he will do his part. If they are not, he will determine ways to pass his time productively. Adult-teenager interactions are part of growing up. Nanami hasn't been Inumaki's mentor, but perhaps he can take on that role in Folkmore. If the kid will let him.

He pays attention to the area around them for both threats and the promised tour.

It's harder to hold a conversation with him while moving, but not impossible, if one can read and walk. Toge can certainly type and walk. Can't all teenagers these days? But Toge didn't seem to feel the need to push for conversation. He was as comfortable as anyone could be in silence, but that was very normal for him.

As they got further into the town area, Toge pointed. "Tuna tuna."

He was pointing at the train station, as it was the primary way to get around Folkmore.

Their situation lacks urgency, so Nanami too is fine with silence. Despite detention, he appreciates the time to get used to... everything. The whole world is something different.

His mouth quirks at the train station. Toge's association seems to be positive, but Nanami cannot claim any feeling of urgency to use it at the moment. Flashes of memory come to mind, but that has nothing to do with this train station. He definitely needs to improve at protecting his soul, so that he can do it when injured as well as at good health.

"I'll remember where the train station is. Thank you, Inumaki," Nanami says politely.

"Salmon." Toge answers brightly enough and he continues moving. The shops are worth looking at, but he picks his favourite cafe and and stops, tilting his head at the door.

"Tuna mayo?" Is this place alright with him?

He will likely need to get over that aversion to the train station, but they don't need to take the train that moment. Inumaki is one of the reasons Nanami came back. He'll face train stations for that. Thankfully, after something to eat. He's not sure how long four hours was in detention. It felt longer.

"Yes, this is good. I haven't eaten in some time." Nanami cannot seem to escape his reflections at the moment, but that's not Inumaki's fault. The trip here and detention both brought them back in full force. He opts not to inquire whether the cafe sells alcohol. If it doesn't or only low quality stuff, Nanami can wait.

Toge was taking the train long before Shibuya and honestly, faced with taking the Japanese subway? He might find himself a mess. The train here doesn't seem like that, so for the moment it doesn't bother him. No more than anything else, anyway.

It seems like knowing where to get drinks is something Toge might know around here, being unsupervised, but he actually doesn't drink much. Toge gets the door for them and gestures at the menu.

"Tuna mayo."

Order whatever you want, I've got my spoon.

Nanami picks up the menu and checks it out from start to finish, no immediately turning to the drinks section to see whether or not the place serves alcohol. It's not a good example to set for Inumaki. Besides, it would feel wrong to have a teenager buy him a drink.

"Thank you, Inumaki," Nanami says. In Japan, he has—or has access to—far more money than Inumaki, but while he too has his spoon, he doubts he's earned much Lore. He's already bought a shovel. Strange to be poor, but it's something his grandfather said. You don't take your money with you when you die.

A sandwich, soup, and tea ordered later, Nanami looks at the student, who paid a price at least similar to the old man. Nanami couldn't find him or Maki (she hates being called Zenin) after the second special grade. He makes polite conversation instead of asking. "What do you think of this place?"

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