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*tdm

December 2023 & January 2024 Test Drive Meme

December 2023 - January 2024 TDM

Introduction

Overflow TDM post found here

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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

Some do.

[Finally looks up from his Relic over to Casey. ........................bro tf is going on with you]

What's wrong with you. Are you ill? Don't come near me if you have a fever, I'm too busy to be sick right now.

[Is this hell? He's in hell. This is his punishment, to have to openly admit his crime to the one who is in the top, like, 2 list of people who have full right to hate him for it. (Yet somehow have not demonstrated that they do.)

Casey fidgets in his seat, still so very reluctant, then slides his paper in Donnie's direction.]

Can you read this?

[He cannot, but it's worth a shot anyway. (A coward's way. Even if he could read it, it wouldn't make the conversation easier.)]

[Eyes flick down to it. Reaches out, picks up the paper; flips it, front and back, but...nope. Nothing.] Blank. Though not for you, I assume?

[The reluctance in Casey's expression is palpable, but he nods. He knows how this works.]

If we don't talk about it and express remorse, we're stuck here. That's... fine. It's not as if I'm not... sorry. And mine's not false.

[He's just delaying, he knows. He wants to ask what Donnie's is, but that's just cowardice, isn't it? He's afraid of this conversation. He's been afraid of this conversation, in the back of his mind, since Day 1. But it has to happen, and now's the time.

He slides the paper back towards himself, turning it over. The words are so ugly... like the act itself.]

...it's... when I closed the portal.

[A few seconds of silence.]

...all right, so only some of us are falsely accused.

[If Casey could shrink directly into the chair, he would.]

...Yeah. Like I said. [The response doesn't surprise him, even if it stings nonetheless. He has no cause to protest, least of all with Donatello.] I know that... nothing I say makes it better. Even if it stopped the Krang, Leo could've...

[god, why can't he just say it? They both know what happened. They were there. He closed the portal and Leo almost died. Coward. Say it.]

...been tortured and then killed. Like he very nearly was.

[Like Donnie saw. Experienced, as an echo. Leo wanted to go home. He wanted their dad.]

Are you looking for something from me, Jones?

[Against his own wishes, he flinches at the description. He knew that… he knew it already. He didn't want to think about it, had hoped desperately that if the worst were to happen it would be a quick death. He's seen what the Krang are capable of. The worst they can inflict. There is nothing kind or merciful about it. Especially not when they're enraged.

He bows his head at the question, closing his eyes.]

I'm… I'm not looking for anything. I never asked for this… even if I could be forgiven… [and by his tone, he's definitely not asking for that,] I wouldn't expect it from you. I- I understand. The two of you are…

[Twins. Different. He'd witnessed many times what happens when one or the other is injured, hovering close to death. He'd seen how sensei fell apart worse than any of them after Uncle Tello died. To the very core, the two of them were a set, and damn the world that tries to separate them.

Or damn the Krang. Or damn Casey Jones, in this case. His hands clasp together in his lap, knuckles going white.]

I… thought it would be you, who'd want to say something to me.

...you think it's because Leo and I are 'different?'

[Donnie hasn't moved since Casey started talking about this, but maybe the air starts to feel a little colder. ...or it's probably just his imagination.]

You wouldn't be this broken up if it was Raph? Mikey?

[His eyes snap wide at that immediately.]

Wh-what? Of course I would! That's not what I meant! No matter who it was, I'd still… it would be wrong. It'd hurt. They're- they were my family, too. It hurt every time…

[Losing them, one after another, was wretched. Chunks of his heart carved out and laid bare. Knowing Master Michelangelo and sensei sacrificed themselves to give him a chance at living, to give all of them a real future was a weight he didn't yet understand how to carry. Even now, months later, it chokes at him. To think for even a second that he wouldn't grieve their losses again, even the younger versions he barely knew, was unthinkable.]

I meant… you didn't know me. Even now you barely do. No matter who it was, I wouldn't ask you to forgive me. I wouldn't deserve it. But especially not for Leo. You're- you're twins.

[Waves a hand. Irrelevant. If he feels any empathy for Casey's distress, it doesn't show on his face. Mikey would probably be yelling at him right now, but honestly, Donnie doesn't give a shit if he would.

You know what, this is good. This is a golden opportunity to make things once nebulously assumed into clear, concrete fact.]

Did you do it because you were scared, or because Leo told you to?

[It hurts like hell, undeniably, but he's never gone to Donnie for empathy. He knows better. Uncle Tello provided facts, logic, and while he was kinder or more careful when he cared about the person receiving it (...sometimes) he didn't mush or coddle. He knew who to go to for that, growing up.

The coldness is… new. Alien. He shivers, and tries not to look too closely.

What a question, though. One he's been asking himself more than once.]

…I… don't know. [A weak answer. Try harder.] Both. It was- sensei gave me that mission. Leo told me to. I've always… his- his orders kept us alive…

[Until they didn't. Until he was gone.

"Say it!"

Leo knows best. He'd always believed it; Donnie didn't. They butted heads all the time, especially when Leo got especially self-sacrificial. He'd be a fool to pretend he didn't know.]

I didn't… know what else to do. He would have killed Leo. He would have killed me. And then he'd kill everyone else, and the world would die again. What… what should I have done?

[Something inside Donatello, some kindness bludgeoned into him by the family he surrounds himself with, keeps him from correcting Casey on that point. His Leo's orders didn't keep them alive. They all died. Whether that was because it was just beyond achievement or because Leo's orders weren't good enough, Donnie will never know.

But fine, sure, Casey wants to ask him that? Donnie's given it thought. He leans forward, jabs a finger down atop Casey's detention slip, pinning it to the table.]

I don't care that you thought it was the best choice, and I don't care that Leo was begging you to do it. I don't care how you felt, what you believe was inevitable, or what went through your head while you were debating should you, shouldn't you. I don't even care what you should have done.

You showed a willingness to sacrifice my brother. [Donnie leans back in his chair, looks away across the library.] I don't hate you for it. Just know that if circumstances align to make such a choice necessary for you again, no matter how dire they should be, I'll remove you from the equation before you can make it. [Casey just can't be trusted to make the right call by Donnie, which is (always and forever), family first. No exceptions, no matter what anyone else says, including Leo.]

["Remove you from the equation."

Casey stares at the paper as Donnie presses down at it. Donnoe can't see it, but his finger is right over the word "die". Its absence from the sentence makes the rest appear all the heavier. He might as well have declared it aloud.

What would removing him entail, exactly? Trapping him? Knocking him out? Killing him to remove even the chance that he might come back to try again?

Even as he thinks of each option a small voice in the back of his mind is telling him: it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. From Donnie's perspective, it's the sensible option. The logical choice. Sacrificing family shouldn't be acceptable.

(What would he say, he wonders, knowing what sensei asked of Master Michelangelo. Knowing what he'd allowed of Raph. Knowing what his future self had chosen, in the end. He doesn't say any of that, though.)

What he says instead is,] Okay.

[What he says instead is,] Good.

[Because he doesn't know. He wants to believe that if the situation rolled back around, and he was handed a choice between family and the world, he'd remember this feeling, this guilt, this pain, and he'd make a different call. But he doesn't know. So he shouldn't be allowed.

Donnie is all about contingencies. This is a contingency. Remove the risk. Remove… him. Because he can't be trusted to make the right call.

What he says instead is,] I trust you with this.

[Donnie doesn't hate him.

Donnie doesn't trust him.

But he can trust Donnie to take this from him, if it comes to that.

He feels numb, one fresh wound in his heart carving itself away. It's fine. It's fine. He did this to himself.]

[Raises a brow at that, folding his arms. "I trust you with this." Trust him with what? This isn't a favor to Casey, and this isn't a bargain being struck. Donnie's making his stance perfectly clear. More than anything else during this entire conversation (and honestly, it's been pretty easy on Donnie's end), this is what causes a flicker of irritation.

Acting like he didn't have a choice. He did, he totally did. That's the problem.

But is it worth dragging this out? No, Donnie said his peace and if Casey needs a reminder later, he'll get it then. Don't sacrifice my brothers. Simple concept.]

...anyway, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to leave now, unless you're still required to stay the full four hours regardless of remorse.

[He probably said something wrong, but at this point he'd be hard-pressed to figure out what he said right, so. Whatever. There was no way in the world this conversation could have gone better. He could've been more eloquent, could've justified himself with confidence and brought the most convincing argument to the table, and it would have changed nothing. He sacrificed Leo, that is true. He can't time-travel to fix that. Hell, even if he could, Donnie would know. He'd remember. The threat would remain valid, and... and fair.

A better person might have accepted their judgment with grace and offered to help Donnie get out of detention as well, with whatever his slip is. Today he is not a better person, though. He's someone whose heart has been unceremoniously shattered (deserved), who has a ninpo noose around his neck (also deserved), who very much wants to get out of here and try to act for the rest of the world that this conversation never happened. A tall ask, maybe, but one he needs to try.]

Right. Yeah. I'll- I'll try the door.

[He pushes against the desk to rise, unable to meet Donnie's gaze, and takes a few steps to leave. Before he can get far, though, he does halt, glancing over his shoulder. He shouldn't ask, things are already bad. But a part of him desperately needs to know, because it's the part that he doesn't understand.]

...why... why don't you hate me?

[Donnie throws an arm over the back of his chair to quirk an eyebrow at Casey. Should he let him just walk off without trying to figure out his own issue? ...nah, Donnie can work on that on his own, and Casey likely doesn't want to be here after that talk.]

It's not as if you wanted to do that.

[Donnie understands that much, at the very least. Leo's said as much to him, too; he didn't want to sacrifice himself, and Casey hadn't wanted to sacrifice Leo. The two of them simply just fail to understand that the option of sacrifice should never have been on the table to begin with. To both of them, Leo's life was a valid form of currency to keep the world safe and alive.

Donnie disagrees.]

It doesn't make sense to hate someone for being wrong. [The consequences of their poor decisions could have been disastrous (still were, to some degree), but ignorance shouldn't always be punished with belligerence. Donnie will keep working on contingencies, plans, and his own powers; once he has the evidentiary support needed to help convince Leo (and by extension, Casey) that there never was and never will be any need to consider sacrificing their family, then Donnie will hate them if it happens again. Then, there will be no excuse.] You're not the only one responsible, anyway. I'm not about to hate you if I won't even hate Leo.

[Casey looks at the floor at that. Doesn't make sense, huh. For Donnie, the logic of it is sound, he's sure. Just because it's hard for Casey to follow doesn't mean there's any flaw in the statement.

(Leo is his brother. Casey is practically a stranger in comparison. It should be much, much easier to hate him than Leo, even if they're both wrong in the same way.)

But Donatello wouldn't lie about this. He doesn't placate a situation or a person with lies, typically. He'll conceal and work around an issue, he'll find a logical argument or flaw and dismantle it, bluntly, very occasionally with more care. But lies aren't as effective as reasonable logic, and nowhere near as long-lasting. The truth is irrefutable, and the truth as Donatello knows it must be accurate. The calculated simplicity of his answer is so achingly familiar and - weirdly, in his own way, in a way Casey recognizes as if he'd been shot right back to the future (to his past), two years ago, standing in Uncle Tello's lab - comfortable. They really are so much alike.

It's what makes Casey turn fully to face Donnie again, looking up at last.]

I understand. [And he does. It hurts, and he doesn't necessarily agree, but he understands and accepts it. Donnie's truth. He doesn't have to be hated for this.] Can I help you get out of here?

[He's being childish, trying to run away like this. It isn't as if Donnie's thoughts will have changed as of today. This has surely been his plan for a long time, now. Just because Casey's aware of the consequences - remove you from the equation - doesn't mean they can't keep on collaborating. He can be okay with this, right? He has to be okay with this.

...He'll learn to be okay with this. The alternative, letting go and losing what little he has left, is unacceptable. He'll stay.]

[Leo's 'crime,' so to speak, was far more severe. Leo is the one who refused to escape, who came up with the plan to trap himself and leave his brothers behind, who ordered (then begged) Casey to follow through. Casey's crime was being afraid and conditioned to obey Leo. The fact that their joint screw-up ended up with Leo taking the beatings and the terror doesn't change that it was Leo's idea in the first place.

But maybe Donnie's starting to get used to Casey, because when Casey comes back with that shakily determined look on his face, he's not surprised. Even considering how well his own family knows him, Casey's taken his explanations and feelings with remarkable ease. If nothing else, that convinces Donnie that Casey was very, very close with all of them in the future, indeed.

(Well. Most of them.)

The look of appraisal Donnie drags over Casey's face (checking to make sure he's not going to be dragged into another emotional talk) is a brief one, before Donnie retrieves the scrap of paper from his fist to unfold it again, though he'd already memorized it on the first read.] Yeah. What the heck is a "Warren Stone"?

[That... is not what he'd expected. He's not sure what he did expect, it just was not that.]

Um... Warren Stone... pink worm mutant with big poofy blond hair? Works with Mr. Hypno? Used to be your self-proclaimed nemesis? That Warren Stone?

Hmmmmm... [Yeah it's not ringing a bell over here]

[Well, shit. That's the extent of his knowledge of the man. (Is this why he kind of hated the turtles?)]

Hm. Okay. So, I think if you pretend to be sincere about an apology, you can still get out of here if you're convincing en- wait.

[HE REMEMBERS NOW.]

They were with the Foot Clan!

What, Hypno? Yes of course he was, I remember that. [Did Hypno have someone with him? Honestly things got very busy very quickly though, and Hypno kind of disappeared (which is what he usually does anyway), so...]

Ugh, I'll just apologize. I'm so very remorseful over not remembering whoever this guy is. My word. My regret cannot be overstated.

[Yeah Warren was definitely with him too. But if Donnie doesn't remember, there's no point in correcting.]

You might want to act a little more sincere if you want to convince anyone that you mean it.

Well how am I supposed to do that! If he was important enough to remember, obviously I would've remembered him!

December 2023 & January 2024 Test Drive Meme

Overflow TDM post found here

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