July 2025 IC Mingle

[folkie]

July 2025 IC Mingle

Introduction

[ Questions ★ Jump to Comments ★ Current TDM ★ Full Navigation ]
This IC Mingle is open to all.
Welcome to Folkmore's monthly IC Mingle! Please feel free to post with any characters regardless of whether they joined this month.

All IC Mingles are game canon and work like "mini mini-events". They're a great way to gain new CR and immediately jump into the setting.

IC Mingle threads can be used for spoon spending at any time.

Current players are always encouraged to tag new players on the IC Mingle!

[ Prompt]

Meet Me in My Dreams. ★

Content Warnings: Dreamscape/Dream Logic, Potential Violence, Potential Memory Sharing, Potential Mind/Power/Etc Swap

In most of Folkmore, it's impossible to tell how deep the cracks go, their black void and nature to swallow whatever enters them evading the answer. On Never Fade, an island in the sky, one crack breaks through the bottom of the island. It devours the space it occupies and grows little by little by little. When it reaches a foot wide and crosses a third the island, Lavender declares enough is enough! Whatever Star Children decide for the rest of Folkmore, this threat must be stopped. Lavender sends chickadee spirits in dreams and reality to invite Star Children to join them.

Star Children can ease the process by coming to Never Fade with someone who matters significantly to them. People need to space themselves out on either side of the divide and connect. Star Children with bonds—soul mates, Familiar/Unfamiliar bonds, adoption, etc—are asked to go into the tunnels. They must use their bonds to find each other in a dreamscape, which will thin the void until they can see each other again. Star Children with emotional connections—non-formal bonds—are asked to face each other on the surface. There they will knit the energy of Folkmore together with yarn. They can toss the yarn back and forth to each other or even exchange yarn with someone next to them, to tighten the weave. Lavender goes hazy but walks above the crack on the woven yarn. The void fades until its blackness is gone.

The space remains empty, a chasm across Never Fade. No one will disappear from Folkmore should they fall down it, but if they cannot fly, teleport, or otherwise recover themselves from a fall, it's a long way down to go. Mildly problematic when it traverses so much of the island. Lavender asks for Star Children to come up with ideas for how to solve it. Either, Star Children will fix the problems in the process, or it can generate enough Lore for Lavender to heal the island.

Lavender creates a lucid dreamspace around the crack. The dreamscape allows Star Children to use any of their abilities, native or Role or something completely different, and to physically manifest challenges to build the Lore needed to succeed at this healing. It requires both physical and relational (Lore) elements. The greater the differences between Star Children, the more effective their challenges are at healing Never Fade. Differences include amount of time spent in Folkmore, Roles, regions they live in, worlds they are from, species, etc. The greater the gap(s) between Star Children, the bigger the impact.

The challenges manifest themselves based on the approach pairs of Star Children take to solve the issue. They follow dream logic. Success depends on both material means and emotional success.

• Add material to fill the gap > find common ground. Examples: walk across a rope bridge toward each other, with each slat requiring saying something you have in common; fighting an enemy together with teamwork.
• Pull/push the island together > understand a significant difference. Examples: complete a maze/obstacle course that requires skills of both people; walking through a memory that shows why the other person is the way they are.
• Magically connect the sides > switch places and succeed. Examples: complete a challenge with a power swap, body swap, or Role swap; fight an enemy in a mech where one person controls each side or each set of limbs.

• A crack in Never Fade gets so big, Lavender decides to banish it.
• Lavender invites Star Children to help:
• Star Children with bonds (in-game or from canon) go into the tunnels on opposite sides and focus on their bonds to thin the void.
• Star Children with strong relationships face each other atop the island and toss magical yarn back and forth, weaving it together. Toss it to your neighbors too!
• Once the void is vanished, the empty gap remains. Lavender creates a lucid dreamscape where Star Children can face different challenges based on their solution so close the gap:
• Fill the gap with material > challenges to find common ground.
• Pull/push island together > challenges to understand significant differences.
• Magically connect the sides > challenges to switch places and succeed.
• Wildcard (got another idea?) > ask below!
• The effects/impact of successful challenges are bigger, the more differences there are between partners: time in Folkmore, Roles, regions they live in, worlds, species, etc. The challenges are just as hard.

Comments

Questions

[folkie]

[saisdoesmatter]

Is this dreamscape that Lavender creates only in their heads or is it like a physical bubble to enter?

Also would a new addition to Folkmore be considered to have a greater or lesser difference between others, or is that up to the player?

[folkie]

It's a physical space to enter focused around the crack.

Amount of time spent in Folkmore is one kind of difference people can have. What dimensions apply and which are important to their characters are up to players!

[saisdoesmatter]

Okay, that's what I thought! Thanks for the clarification. :)

Raphael | TMNT 2012 | Familiar

[saisdoesmatter]

The problem with arriving in a new world, a new space, anything really: was trying to understand that it was so significantly different than living in New York that it was hard to find his feet. Ever since he arrived, he learned of this Never Fade island, which felt a bit isolating until he found out that no, there were ways off of said floating island. Folkmore was way different than Earth though - with the spirits and the ideals of magic, powers from communication, and the like.

It felt like being sucked literally into a book's world when he hadn't even read the series before, much less the middle of the adventure he found himself in.

So when the bird showed up in a dream, he wasn't surprised when another one did the same when he was awake. Raph found himself preferring this sort of messenger, rather than the harassing goats earlier, and got the hint when the little chickadee circled once and fluttered as if to show him where to go. His love of birds worked well for this notion - prompting him to follow and learn of the cracking land once he got closer to the afflicted areas.

"...holy shit," he swore under his breath, as the tiny bird came to land on his shoulder like it was meant to be there. It let him reach up to give it a little scritch, peeping happily that he was there and it was getting rewarded for being a good messenger, and rode along with the turtle as he started to investigate. "Okay...if I learned anything from the ship and the lighthouse, this place needs that lore stuff to like, heal..."

He huffs a sigh and heads deeper in, following the damage to see if there's anything he should be messing with to help with apparently what needs to be done.

[Raveled]

String criss crosses the chasm in haphazard patterns, drawing his attention to the yarn being thrown about the whole place like an giant arts and crafts project. Only this one seems to be to sew the chasm shut. He blinks a few times at it before he moves closer still, spotting the yarn ball on his side. As insane as that whole premise seems to him, he's quickly learned that not everything is what it seems in this strange land, so he scoops it up and scans the opposite side to see who's open for playing a weird game of catch.

"Oi! How's your catchin' arm?" he calls over there.

[Slash And Destroy | Memory/Enemy]

Despite everything he's learned so far - nothing can really prepare him for what comes in this dreamscape made real. Is it a memory? Or not? He isn't quite sure when he gets deeper into the tunnels and there's...a HUGE turtle. A familiar one with a giant mace. Three different colored bandannas around one huge bicep: blue, orange and purple.

"...Slash?" What was he doing here?! Did the other mutant get whisked into this world as well?

But that didn't make sense - if he had his brother's bandannas - that was when he tried to get rid of all of them, shortly after he got mutated. That was years ago!

Unless this Slash went after the OTHER brothers here in some crazy plot. Raph swallows hard, eyes scanning for possibly any of the other turtles he's met being injured or nearby that might have run into Slash.

Either way, he wasn't about to let Slash hurt any of the others here. He might not have his sai, since they disappeared after the ship fight, but he wouldn't back down from his former best friend either. "You better not have hurt anyone - I'll take you down again if I have to!"

That didn't stop the huge turtle from charging at Raphael with one angry yell, ready to fight.

[Wildcard]

Drag him into your idea!

[OOC: Feel free to tag with action if you prefer it! I'll match whatever style you like. :)]

Raveled

[ms3meters]

Much like Raph, Mitsuko has also been called here thanks to a chickadee guiding her. A frown settles on her face as she inspects the damaged lands, being extremely careful not to go too close to the ledge. She had been lucky last time but she has the feeling that she may not get a third try at keeping herself safe if she fell...

Mitsuko would be lost in her thoughts about impending doom and fates worse than death if she didn't hear Raphael. The three meter tall woman pauses and then... shrugs.

"I don't know. I've never had the chance to try. I'm sure it's okay. Why?" she calls back quickly.

[saisdoesmatter]

Holy shit this lady's like the biggest human he's ever seen. What human ends up being ten feet fall??? He balks for a second, not expecting someone twice his size to show up, but it makes him wonder what her story is.

Regardless, this yarn thing seems...important. He has no idea, he's been going along for the ride.

"Uhm," he starts, uncertain now. "I noticed this thing seems to tied to this fissure? An' maybe fixin' it?"

Wow, what an explanation. He already hates this. Another sigh.

"No idea how this place works and everything's nuts but I've been kind of going along with whatever seems to be the weirdest going on and hey, it's worked before so...wanna give it a shot?"

He has no idea what he's doing but he'll toss the yarn ball at her if she's willing.

[ms3meters]

Mitsuko giggles, seeing Raphael's expression. She loves giving people a scare, even when it wasn't intentional. Even little reactions made her grin.

"Ahh... I see. Inthreeguing... So Thirteen wants us to sew the world back together? I suppose it's not the weirdest thing that's happened. Let's try it! Why not?"

Mitsuko reaches out and catches the yarn ball easily. She's used to plucking small targets out of the sky and a ball is actually easier than trading cards. Once she catches it, she gives an underarm throw to Raphael. She tries to be gentle but her strength is proportional to her body, so it may be hard to receive!

"So... what sort of alien are you?"

slash & destroy

[apuckalypse]

Whoa... that really is one huge mutant. He might actually rival the Raph Casey knows best? Not the future one, but... still. Big guy. The masks around his arm don't paint a pleasant picture, either. (That's what sensei did with Uncle Raph and Uncle Tello's masks after they...)

No time to think too deeply on this, however. The big guy is charging towards Raphael, and Casey doesn't stop to ponder anymore: he rushes in closer, firing his grapple out to snag onto the mace, trying to yank it out of the mutant's grip- or, if that's not possible, at least slow his charge down a little.

"Who the heck is this!?"

[saisdoesmatter]

While Raphael is readying his own defensive moves to counter this version of Slash, he isn't expecting anyone else to show up and come to his aid. So when there's a grapple wrapping around the big turtle's mace and yanking enough to distract him, Raph's checking to see where it's come from - spotting Casey having shown up.

"Case?!"

But when Slash shifts his weight to yank Casey off of his feet, Raph moves, not about to let the huge turtle hurt a new buddy. He's slamming into the big guy, throwing him off balance before he's jumping back to dodge a swing from the free fist.

"His name's Slash--he shouldn't BE here though!? This doesn't make any sense!"

[apuckalypse]

Casey doesn't fight the pull, letting the momentum drag him into a roll rather than falling, disconnecting his grapple and reeling it in as he rises back to his feet. In a flash of movement his chainstick is up and out, the mask dropping down over his face, and he's ready for a proper fight. Slash, huh.

"Sometimes this happens- we have to fight people or monsters we know from our own world- is he usually like this?"

When he'd had to fight Krang Prime, the alien didn't talk, didn't goad him on or laugh in his face, or even get pissed off when he (impossibly) started to win. He'd known it wasn't real, then.

Raveled

[heyunderoos]

It isn't the first time Thirteen's realm has destabilized, but this is a new level Peter is struggling to come to terms with. He's found his way to Never Fade on his own for once, aware the rest of his little bubble have their own things going on. His costume is under his casual baggy clothing in case he needs to swap to Spider-Man at some point during all of this.

If there is a way he can help here, he will. He just isn't sure where to start. The sight of a giant turtle isn't shocking to Peter, even if he blinks a little at the red bandana. Is this another version of Raph-?

"Pretty good, toss it my way!" He calls out.

[saisdoesmatter]

Between the ship, the lighthouse, and now this crack in the ground - Raph kind of wanted to get the hell off of this floating island. But given that there seems to be some way to help fix the damn thing, he might as well give it a shot. Crazy as it is, after all.

Maybe one day he'll get used to it but right now, rolling with it seemed to be the best idea.

When he gets the confirmation from the human he's spotted to lob the yarn ball, he does just that. "You got it, man!" he says, before underhanding it to Peter. "No idea if this'll work at all though." A shrug as he waits for him to throw it back. "Unless you've seen this stuff before?"

[heyunderoos]

Peter easily catches the yarn ball, glad to have it in hand. They needed to try and figure out this whole... situation.

"I've been here for a few years, so, it will probably work!" Peter calls back. "I'm Peter by the way! It's nice to meet you!" He holds up the yarn, miming that he's going to toss it back.

His easy belief that things would work out does a fair job of starting to knit the hole back together. A strand of thick yarn weaves itself between the gap, pulling a bit of it closed.

wildcard/dreamscape

[grabaslice]

The dreamscape Raph walks into isn't particularly assuring as it settles around him. One could almost call it unwelcoming. Several things become clear fairly quickly. The heavy silence, the nearly stagnant air and the uncomfortable chill lingering.

Oppressive concrete walls take shape overhead, rippling down to form walls. Bare light bulbs sway overhead. The bulbs flicker occasionally, threatening to go out entirely. The dirt floor under foot is well trodden, dug into in certain places. The space extends seemingly into forever with long dark halls. As things settle, it becomes clear the younger turtle found himself in some kind of underground bunker.

Ghostly shapes of people flit by in the bunker, but aren't solid enough to stop Raph from going anywhere. Impressions of people Leonardo remembers but can't completely recall. Dreams and memories smudge together, leaving only impressions of what once was.

Just tucked nearly out of sight is both familiar and unfamiliar shape of Leonardo. The older turtle is reclined back against one of the walls seated on the ground. He seems lost in thought, distantly unfocused.

He seems to at least come back into focus when he hears someone walking over. Recognition snaps into place after a moment. "Raph." He tries to sit up, but exhales out slowly. "Gimme a second, I'm- I'm just..."

He can't really remember what he was doing at all.

o hai thar old man

[saisdoesmatter]

There's somehow a weird sense of...something he can't place as he's stepping into another plane of existence. One minute he's in the Never Fade, the next, somewhere else as it hones in around him and this sense of dread ripples up his spine. He stiffens, already looking around as it coalesces into concrete and flickering bulbs swaying, with dirt under his feet, tamped down by pacing and other things.

It almost feels like the start of a horror film - something he's not fond of but also experienced with when it comes right down to it - so much of his life was fighting against horrible things.

He nearly jumps out of his shell as there's the drifting of a person. People. Shifting around him but also not stopping him from getting the hell out of their way.

"...what the..." he mutters, his hackles raised as he spots a somewhat familiar face. One that's different but similar enough to place it from the ship and the fight with the pirates.

"Leo?" He swallows down the smattering of unease as he heads for the bigger turtle. "Are you hurt? Do you know what's going on?"

Shoto Todoroki | My Hero Academia | Legend

[icicleinferno]

I. A Rope Bridge

Shoto isn’t someone who has a lot of deep bonds, so he’s not really helping with the string. He isn’t sure who he would throw it to, except for Bakugo and that’s iffy, depending on the other’s mood. The dreamscape morphs around him though, enough to get Shoto to look around.

A bridge stands before him, and another Star Child too. The ropes are in place, there are two slats in place and as for the rest, well, they had better start getting to know each other, better start finding common ground.

He isn’t sure where to start. “Do you go to school?” That seems like a fairly innocuous question perhaps, and it doesn’t matter how old they are, adults can go to school too. He’s fairly certain.

II. A Memory Escape Room

The room is so painfully ordinary, really. A traditional style, complete with futon which is presently rolled up in the corner. There aren’t really any personal effects either, this could work for a hotel setting if it had to. There is a desk in the corner, a bookcase and dresser. There are two windows, although at the moment the blinds are closed, and there are three doors leading out of the room.

Trying the doors, they all appear to be locked.

Shoto himself seems a bit bewildered to find himself in what is his room at the Todoroki estate.

“Why are we in my room?” It would appear that understanding Shoto is the task, but there’s a pause as he points something out. “Why is there a third door?”

Perhaps escaping this room into the next means understanding the other Star Child is just as vital.

III. Wildcard

[ Shoto’s willing to help anyone that needs it, with their trials, grab him for your ideas! Also very open to body swap/power swap threads, that could be fun. ]

i

[apuckalypse]

This trial seems like an odd one, but blessedly simple, at least at first glance. Casey's kind of grateful, after a lot of the messy situations he's used to. He examines the rope bridge a bit, trying to get a feel for what's expected of them. Getting to know someone, forming a bond... this, he can certainly do. He's pretty good at talking. "I do, yeah! I go to Thoth, for engineering. What about you?"

[icicleinferno]

That is a good question, because Shoto had just meant in general and Casey answered with a local school. He stares into the middle distance, quiet as he thinks.

"Not since coming here, but I'm a student at U.A. at home, usually. I'm in the heroics program."

Hopefully that's enough to give them another step.

Donatello Hamato | Rise of the TMNT AU | Legend

[notapancake]

[Memories of a Dream - Why are you like this?]
Option A:
[This dreamscape one will find themselves in is a lab, it's not the greatest of labs. In fact, the walls are dingy, and the equipment looks like it might fall apart with the slightest sneeze, but there's also some care taken to it. As if the one in charge of it cares more about that than anything else. The floors are also dirt, since it's just a room in an underground bunker that has been converted into a lab.

But what's more vital is who is in said lab, the older Donatello is there, a frown on his face. Especially with the fact that there are people who he hasn't seen in years.

Young male human, and a female cat yokai (she could pass for a spirit to those not in the know) are chatting. The conversation seems indistinct. But not because the memory haver didn't hear them, they're inside Tello's lab. He heard them, but because of distance. So one has two choices, get closer to the memory people? Or the not too pleased looking turtle man.]

Option B:
[The floor shifts and is more... Organic in nature, in fact where ever you've ended up is very. Squishy. To those who have been inside of one? It's a Technodrome, and a very active one. Whoever you are? Going to be grabbed and pulled into the shadows by someone who, while he's a bit healthier now, looks like shit.

And scared out of his mind, as the older Donatello hisses at whoever he's grabbed.]

Quiet.

[As creatures end up stalking right by where they're hidden.]

Wildcard
[Willing to do other things then dreamscape, like power or body swap or the bridge example as well.]

B LETS DO THIS HORRIBLENESS

[apuckalypse]

[Casey hasn't spent much time in the Technodromes. For one thing, venturing inside was usually as close to a suicide mission as one can get, too dangerous. For another, in his lifespan they usually couldn't get that close to one, anyway. He'd seen footage, mostly, from stealth drones or those who'd lived to bring back intel. Everything recorded for future hopeful missions. He didn't need to have been here to recognize the scenery immediately.

He also doesn't need the silence directive, but he's glad for the warning anyway, clamping his mouth shut tightly as the Krang monsters stalk the hallway beyond. His eyes are wide as he looks between them and his uncle, silently signalling with one hand,

why here?]

heheheheh

[notapancake]

[Tello is hyper aware, he... He knows what this is, because this is familiar. Too familiar. And he also is hoping that this isn't like, a permanent fixture now?

Because a Technodrome in Folkmore would be horrible. But for now there's replying to Casey, without words of course. Speaking will just draw attention to them after all.

I don't know, a slight lie. He doesn't know why this, but then there is a figure. Not a krang creature, no. One of the Krang themselves, and Donnie freezes up.]

Altair | Original Character | Myth (will match format)

[aquilasshadow]

((OOC: Altair has an ability that lets him hear a person’s soul song, a musical echo of a person's soul, whenever he touches someone's shadow. He will only use this ability with the player’s permission, otherwise, he can just hear the general cosmic melody that all souls have, or I can leave out the explanation of why he reacts to touching shadows completely, whichever is the most enjoyable for you. Opt in/out for soul songs is here. ))


I. Bonds (closed to CR)

[Folkmore destabilizing was made a hundred times worse thanks to the alternate history he just lived. The fear of his magic ripping apart the fabric of reality and destroying the world was one he always lived with, but it was always an abstract fear. To have that nightmare confirmed by the memories of a version of himself that lived a hundred years into the future, on a different world because Earth had to be abandoned due to the massive devastation and corruption his magic caused...it was too much.

He didn't have time to think about it though. He had already watched one world be destroyed, he won't let history repeat itself and he joined the efforts to stabilize Folkmore without hesitation.

His glowing eyes flickered with a bright flash of uncertainty as he looked down at the yarn in his hand. Bonds were tricky with him. He treasured the bonds he made with others more than anything. They were what kept him going when the world kept knocking him down. Yet he was afraid to define the bonds he had because of the times he had been betrayed. If he never put a name to them then it was easier to ignore the unease in his mind that whispered that he was wrong. It was easier to quietly show how much someone meant to him without putting it into words.

His grip on the yarn tightened when someone he knew approached him.]

I don't know if I can do this. My hand to eye coordination is terrible.

[Somehow hinting at his blind right eye was easier than admitting the truth. What if their bond wasn't strong enough?]


II. Dreamscapes

[Altair's experience with dreamscapes here hadn't been great but they were an easier option, hopefully. He approached the dreamscape with a determined sigh. Here goes nothing.]

A. Find Common Ground

[Altair had always liked heights so the rope bridge didn't bother him at first. Unfortunately instead of open air below him, there was water. The black feathery spikes along his arms bristled as he clung to the bridge with muttered growl.]

Of storms course!

[His brightly glowing eyes sharply cut to the person on the other side.]

Let's get this over with. Do you like art?

[Yes, that sounded like a threat.]


B. Understand a significant difference

[The dreamscape Altair found himself in was a white room. There were no doors or windows, just an easel with a blank canvas and a palette of paint. Altair eyed the canvas warily. Was it a trap? Maybe but he couldn't help being drawn to the canvas. Remind him to murder Thirteen if he was right and she used art against him. He picked up the brush and made a very quick mark on the canvas, his eyes darting across the room to see if it triggered something.

A corresponding mark appeared on the wall in front of him, but no traps so far. He cautiously relaxed an tried painting the easiest thing that came to mind for him, a rose. Like he suspected, a rose appeared on the wall. When he walked over for a closer look he found that the rose felt real. That gave him an idea and he returned to the canvas and painted a door that was ajar. Sure enough a door appeared on the wall, except it was shut. Trying the doorknob confirmed that it was locked and drawing a key didn't work either.]

Heh, I should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

[He thought he heard some movement from the other side of the door.]

Is someone there?

[The other room is similarly designed to let the other star child's skill manipulate the room around them. Have fun!]

C. Switch places and Succeed (cw: body swap, magical sensory deprivation, undeath)

[Altair always wanted someone to walk in his shoes for once, just maybe not like this. He found himself at the entrance of a maze in a body that wasn't his own. His partner will find themselves in a similar position on the opposite side of the maze. Luckily they can hear each other's voices in their minds so they will be able to help the other navigate their new body and abilities. They will need that guidance, since each side of the maze has been tailored to challenge their new abilities.

The first thing the person who is stuck with Altair's body will notice is that nothing feels quite real. Everything feels like a distant memory, except the echo of powerful magic deep inside you. It feels as if your very soul is being pulled in by this otherwordly magic. A rush of emotion and weightless magical energy follows any strong emotions you feel, making everything feel like you are seeing everything out of the corner of your eye.

His magic is fueled by imagination so if you can keep your emotions in control, and not get lost in the weightless embrace of your new magic, you may find out that you can shift your consciousness back to your human side by focusing on how things used to feel real. It won't be enough to get rid of the ghostly feel of your body completely but it can return you to a semblance of normalcy at least. Enough to look around. You also might notice that you feel unnaturally cold unless you specifically focus on the warmth of being alive, and he's blind in his right eye. Enjoy being a mage!]


III. Choose your own Adventure

[Do you have a challenge idea of your own? Surprise me with your own prompt! You can also talk to me on plurk Nicholaj, Discord: 25thNicholaj, or PM, whichever is easier for you. Enjoy!]

ii-a

[tsunergy]

[Mikleo's experienced enough traps and perilous pathways in old ruins to not be too concerned about the rope bridge. He's more startled by eyes pointed in his direction, though probably at this point, being in Folkmore for months, he shouldn't be. There are more people who can perceive him here than at home, exponentially. Still:]

You can see me?

[aquilasshadow]

[Altair had been too distracted with his rising panic to take a good look at his partner. It was the faint whisper of a soul song that clued him in that someone was there. Now that he was looking at him, he felt like a mirage, slipping in and out of his view. It reminded him of the otherworldly magic tied to his own soul and his glowing eyes softly flickered with a fragile longing.

It looked like he was trying to say something but Altair could only hear the haunting sound of rushing water below him. He felt the familiar tug of magic though so he shifted his consciousness to his magic side. The shift was easier thanks to his panic and his glowing eyes flashed brighter in surprise when Mikleo's form rippled into being. He could do without the watery detail right now but his unease was overshadowed by curiosity.]

Who are you?

[And why was he so drawn to his soul? It felt eerily similar to the souls of the dead.]