December 2023 & January 2024 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

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.

Comments

[apuckalypse]

[Casey quirks a brow at that, his smile not faltering but gaining an air of confusion. (He also doesn't seem too inclined to let go either, so they're even there.)]

Why a holiday party?

[And why did it have to be perfect? His bar is so low for everything else, he's struggling to think of a better way Hunter could have asked- mostly because the joy for him comes with the asking itself. He asked, so Casey's over the moon.]

[pyrighteous]

Well - that's traditional for humans, right? Because everything's decorated already, and everyone's excited, and - and it's a special occasion?

[ He goes very deeply pink. ]

And I wanted to do it right. The way that - that you would want it to be.

[apuckalypse]

Oh... is it?

[News to him, but's entirely possible that Hunter knows more about human traditions than he does at this point. The last comment makes him chuckle a little, though, gently bumping their shoulders.]

The way you asked me just now isn't wrong, either. Just different than how you planned, I guess. It's good too though, right? Now you don't have to wait for an answer. [He pauses, his cheeks turning similarly pink.] A-and I wouldn't... feel like this, if you hadn't. I like that part.

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter gladly leans into that shoulder bump with a significant amount of relief. Not how he planned, no, but still good? Seeing Casey blush like that is definitely still good. Very good. ]

I - I do too. For sure.

[ A shy smile in return? ]

I just ... I couldn't bear the thought of you looking sad because I didn't want to be family at all. I don't want you to ever look sad because of me.

[apuckalypse]

I don't want that either! I don't wanna upset you, if I can avoid it. I get what you mean now, though... this is really different from being brothers.

[He hadn't minded not having the option - far from it actually - yet he hadn't quite parsed that this was on the table instead. Gosh this sure is putting into context a lot of those mutually blushing moments between them for Casey. ....Wait-]

How long have you been thinking about this?

[The fact that he'd been planning and perfecting it... he must've really been thinking about this...]

[pyrighteous]

[ Oh boy. That's a heck of a question. Not because Hunter doesn't know - he absolutely does know how long he's been thinking about it - but because the first moment he knew is ... well ...

He really can't get any redder here. ]

Do you remember when we got attacked by the fae? And got the the mist glyphs working and then you grappled us both out?

[apuckalypse]

Yeah, of course.

[He remembers how cool Hunter had been, with all those spells, what a good team they'd made, and how much his arm had hated him for the whole rest of the night. It was kind of an amazing adventure, though. It let them show off what they were really capable of.]

[pyrighteous]

That's - that's when I first realized. You looked so cool in the moonlight as you swung us away.

[ So like, somewhere between two to four weeks ago, depending on IC timing. ]

And then you helped me with all that bark later in the tub too.

[apuckalypse]

[Casey is struck by several things at once:

1) holy crap that was a while ago, he'd been holding back all this time?

2) if April ever shows up he is going to tell her that the head massage may have netted him a boyfriend, which, cool, but she'd laugh, and

3, which he fixates on an extra amount) Hunter thought he looked cool...]

Whoa... your restraint is really, um. Impressive. If I'd let myself think about this for even a minute before today I'd probably have blurted it out the same week.

[He's so bad at lying, the second he acted suspicious and Hunter asked, that'd be it for him.]

[pyrighteous]

I ...

[ IS restraint the right word? Maybe?? Hunter had played it about as cool as he ever plays anything. Which isn't much, really.

But he had tried. Even if he'd been more obvious with other people. ]

I-it got close. Sometimes. And this is technically blurting out, I guess.

[ Just like a month later. ]

It took me a while to decide what to do, too.

[apuckalypse]

[Casey opens his mouth to ask what it was he'd decided, then pauses, thinking better of it. If Hunter's been thinking on it this long, and it was meant to be special...]

Should I wait until the holiday party anyway? So you can do it for real? -Um, I mean, not that this isn't real! It's very real. [His emotions are like. Intensely real, actually. Will-not-stop-buzzing real.] Just... don't want all your hard work wasted.

[pyrighteous]

[ It's a good question. Hunter DID have a whole plan mostly put together, and he still really wants to ask Casey out at the party? Well - assuming Rue has one, but he feels like that's a safe assumption. and if that's not true he can still use the holiday itself. ]

I ... I guess it's pretty close, right? Humans have a lot of winter holidays. It'd be nice to - uh - also be more official.

[ Not at all cancelling THIS, of course. But a first date could wait. ]

[apuckalypse]

Yeah... I think I can wait for that!

[Something to look forward to, on top of the party and experiencing the winter holidays properly for the first time. Like a bonus present.

-Wait. Should he do something too? He should! Oh, that would be fun- Hunter was planning to surprise Casey with this, and now Casey could surprise him instead... he'll have to think.]

You can ask me with more confidence then- since you'll already know my answer.

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter will be utterly oblivious. It'll be great. Even now, he suspects nothing.

And ... well, the thought of planning to ask Casey out while knowing the answer is SUCH a cheerful thought. He can't help but grin a little just thinking about it. ]

Y-yeah! I - honestly? That makes it way better. Now I know I'm not risking looking like an idiot when I do all this prep.

[ He might still look like an idiot but that's the Hunter Experience. ]

[apuckalypse]

[Casey may be a bad liar but he's actually pretty good at keeping secrets, a very different skill. As long as he doesn't get caught, this'll be awesome. ...Once he has an idea, anyway.

Hunter gets a playful, kind of sly look at that comment. Oh, buddy. You're doing great and you have no idea.]

I don't think you'll look like an idiot. You can be really smooth sometimes.

[Thinking about a certain gala, and the staff flight... he'd been figuratively and literally swept off his feet already.]

1/2

[pyrighteous]

[ Oh no. Oh NO. That look is SO GOOD on Casey?? It's a really good thing that Hunter's already confessed or else this slight jaw drop and smitten stare would be beyond obvious. His brain promptly overheats for a beautiful second. ]

[pyrighteous]

[ Oh wait Casey said something. what did Casey say? Sorry Hunter was too busy having his single hormone pingpong around inside his head. ]

-- Yes that's for sure!

[ WHAT DID CASEY SAY he hopes that was the correct response. ]

[apuckalypse]

[Wow he doesn't know what he just did but it apparently worked... very well. He's gonna be thinking about that for a while, that look on Hunter's face.]

Hey, look at you! That sounded really confident, Hunter.

[He gives Hunter a playful nudge with his elbow, entirely oblivious of the not-so-earnest answer. He'd expected stammering! Questioning, maybe! But this is great, Hunter knows he's smooth.

(In other words, not an incorrect response, but.)]

[pyrighteous]

[ But clearly he missed something and he is rightfully getting a lil teasing for it. He goes even pinker. ]

It did?

[ A smarter guy might have tried to play that off but this is Hunter after all. ]

Sorry, I - um - I actually got distracted for a second.

[apuckalypse]

[Casey blinks at him, confused for a moment, then ducks his head, laughing helplessly. Just- his expression. It's so goofy. But- cute? He's allowed to think that without it being kind of weird, now. It's a cute face. Hunter's face is cute.

Oh no he's turning red again. Still chuckling a little, he lifts his hand and pokes the unscarred cheek.]

I said you can be smooth. Not an idiot!

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter's not entirely sure why Casey is laughing, but he can't help but relax anyway. Good. Okay. This is all working out much better than he could have hoped for. ]

... Oh. Well. It's mostly by accident then, I think.

[apuckalypse]

Accident or not, it still counts.

[It's good that he's smooth! Uh, probably. He doesn't know what the next steps are, he just knows that he gets really fluttery when it happens. Casey pauses then, but since Hunter was honest and accepted the light teasing for it in good humour, he too admits,]

I didn't know what it was at the time, but I think I felt something like this back when we danced at the gala. A-and... definitely, definitely the first time you took me flying.

[pyrighteous]

[ Oh. That's a long time too, isn't it? Hunter was still being a jerk emperor at the time, so he's doubly impressed that Casey saw anything he liked, even if it was small.

But the flying, well. That actually gives him a surge of confidence. Flying is something he IS good at, and he likes the idea of being able to be cool and smooth there. One of his strengths for sure. ]

Then let's go for a flight once we get out of here. Just like that first time.

[apuckalypse]

[Hunter underestimates the power of dressing up like a fancy prince and guiding a scrub kid who's never been to a fancy party in his life through a really nice dance, clearly.

By the way Casey's eyes light up immediately, that's the perfect suggestion.]

Yes! I mean, yes. Please. I'd love that.

[Do they fly to school instead of taking the train if the weather allows? Irrelevant. Every flight is a fantastic flight in his eyes.]

[pyrighteous]

[ Of course they do. That doesn't matter though, right? Hunter beams back at him. ]

Then it can be our first flight ... um. Well.

[ He reaches for Casey's hand again. ]

As boyfriends?