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June-July 2024 Test Drive Meme
June-July 2024 TDM
Introduction
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.
🦊 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.
Content Warnings: Ghosts, Potential Violence, Potential Death
Summer has hit. It's hot, and nowhere is it hotter than Cruel Summer. Naturally, new Star Children arrive in Cruel Summer with no indication of which direction to go to escape, unless they're so lucky as to arrive near the Selkie River. The water provides a break, and a selkie skin will protect Star Children from the heat. Though beware the cruelty of leaving a selkie without their skin. Along with the heat, Star Children can hear whispers and the echoes of screams throughout Cruel Summer. There's no obvious source of the noises. Not the normal creatures. Not anything anyone can see.
Whether new or old Star Child, anyone lost, overheated, in need of a rest, or anything else will find a friendly spirit will find them in the sands, rock, or shores of Cruel Summer. They'll guide the way toward the huts found in Cruel Summer. These huts have changed; the huts are bigger and grow together, making them one interconnected twisting winding empty town. No one appears to live there. The wooden town is in disrepair, varying from building to building. Even so, they are cool inside, a welcome break from the summer heat.
No matter how one entered, even through the swinging doors to the saloon, that exit disappears behind Star Children. There's no turning back. The only way out is to explore the way through the buildings. This fact continues to be true building to building as exits continue to vanish. The abandoned town isn't as empty as it first seems. As Star Children explore the branching paths through the wooden structures, they see ghosts of spirits going through the paces of their lives. They're familiar to these spaces and interact with missing objects that sometimes shimmer in spirit energy.
Spirit Children may interrupt these routines to try to talk with the ghosts. Some ghostly spirits are friendly. They may interact with Star Children as though they're someone else, someone the spirits used to know. Others, like the bartender, may treat them like a new customer. Other ghosts are determined to stick to their routines and, should Star Children continue to interrupt, will attack those who disturb them.
These spirits may kill Star Children when they attack. Normal weapons won't hurt them. There are revolvers, shotguns, iron pokers, hunting knives, and other plain weapons around to grab in self-defense. Salt bullets and iron will dispel ghosts. These weapons may be grabbed at any time. However, doing so attracts the creatures in Cruel Summer. A blood red worm spitting yellow acid may break through the floor to eat or spray Star Children. An enormous coyote may leap through the window. Whether attracted by the use of weapons or passing by, any dangerous creature found in Cruel Summer seems agitated when they come near these structures and will attack them and anyone inside. They will focus especially on anyone with a stolen selkie skin.
Should Star Children die, whether to ghosts or creatures, they will not immediately return to life.Do not pass go. Instead they will haunt the ghost town for one week in the room where they were killed. Other Star Children may recognize them and work to snap them out of their routines. Yet nothing will free the Star Children's spirits before the week is through. At the end of the week, they'll come to, alive, in their bodies in the room they died in. Best get through and out of the ghost town before dying again!
A constant through these scenes are the spirits' spoons, visible somewhere in each scene. The ghost spoons are whole. Once free of the ghost town, Star Children may choose to travel to the Shattered Spoon Shrine in Never Fade to search for the broken fragments of any of these spoons. They are in such small pieces, however, that no Star Child may feed them enough Lore alone to bring the spirit back. Two or more Star Children may spend time in the Shrine creating and feeding Lore toward the spoons to heal them. It just may be enough to bring someone back.
Summer has hit. It's hot, and nowhere is it hotter than Cruel Summer. Naturally, new Star Children arrive in Cruel Summer with no indication of which direction to go to escape, unless they're so lucky as to arrive near the Selkie River. The water provides a break, and a selkie skin will protect Star Children from the heat. Though beware the cruelty of leaving a selkie without their skin. Along with the heat, Star Children can hear whispers and the echoes of screams throughout Cruel Summer. There's no obvious source of the noises. Not the normal creatures. Not anything anyone can see.
Whether new or old Star Child, anyone lost, overheated, in need of a rest, or anything else will find a friendly spirit will find them in the sands, rock, or shores of Cruel Summer. They'll guide the way toward the huts found in Cruel Summer. These huts have changed; the huts are bigger and grow together, making them one interconnected twisting winding empty town. No one appears to live there. The wooden town is in disrepair, varying from building to building. Even so, they are cool inside, a welcome break from the summer heat.
No matter how one entered, even through the swinging doors to the saloon, that exit disappears behind Star Children. There's no turning back. The only way out is to explore the way through the buildings. This fact continues to be true building to building as exits continue to vanish. The abandoned town isn't as empty as it first seems. As Star Children explore the branching paths through the wooden structures, they see ghosts of spirits going through the paces of their lives. They're familiar to these spaces and interact with missing objects that sometimes shimmer in spirit energy.
Spirit Children may interrupt these routines to try to talk with the ghosts. Some ghostly spirits are friendly. They may interact with Star Children as though they're someone else, someone the spirits used to know. Others, like the bartender, may treat them like a new customer. Other ghosts are determined to stick to their routines and, should Star Children continue to interrupt, will attack those who disturb them.
These spirits may kill Star Children when they attack. Normal weapons won't hurt them. There are revolvers, shotguns, iron pokers, hunting knives, and other plain weapons around to grab in self-defense. Salt bullets and iron will dispel ghosts. These weapons may be grabbed at any time. However, doing so attracts the creatures in Cruel Summer. A blood red worm spitting yellow acid may break through the floor to eat or spray Star Children. An enormous coyote may leap through the window. Whether attracted by the use of weapons or passing by, any dangerous creature found in Cruel Summer seems agitated when they come near these structures and will attack them and anyone inside. They will focus especially on anyone with a stolen selkie skin.
Should Star Children die, whether to ghosts or creatures, they will not immediately return to life.
A constant through these scenes are the spirits' spoons, visible somewhere in each scene. The ghost spoons are whole. Once free of the ghost town, Star Children may choose to travel to the Shattered Spoon Shrine in Never Fade to search for the broken fragments of any of these spoons. They are in such small pieces, however, that no Star Child may feed them enough Lore alone to bring the spirit back. Two or more Star Children may spend time in the Shrine creating and feeding Lore toward the spoons to heal them. It just may be enough to bring someone back.
- Whispers, echoes of screams, etc become common throughout Cruel Summer
- Huts become bigger, interconnected, growing together. Anyone lost, overheated, in need of something in Cruel Summer gets a friendly spirit redirecting them to these buildings
- Buildings will still be in some state of disrepair, but like a whole twisting winding town
- Insides are a cool respite
supernatural ghost spirit air conditioning - Only way out is through, no turning back, as the exits disappear behind you
- Many are friendly, but some are not. One can attempt to talk to them, but how interactive they are varies
- Occasionally other creatures from Cruel Summer may burst in and attack
- If a Star Child dies, rather than return to life immediately, they stay a ghost for about a week, part of the tour
Content Warnings: Fire, Coerced Confessions
Fire! Fire across the realm! For the second half of June, wildfire burns everywhere. While it doesn’t hurt Star Children, it can reduce everything else to ash: homes, businesses, gardens, spirits. The local spirits will be in a panic and beg Star Children for help from small ice mice in Wintermute to fennec foxes in Cruel Summer. How can Star Children help? Confessions. Anything the person they are with doesn’t know. The more earnest and meaningful the better.
When wildfire erupts and spreads, Star Children may stand in or in front of an area they want to protect and confess something to another Star Child who happens to be nearby. Their neighbor? Their partner? A stranger lost in a new land? These confessions simply need to be something the other person doesn’t know to protect structures and spirits. Memories related to the confession will show in the fire. The fire will fuel these memories until they run out of energy, dying down to embers. At least in that place at that time.
Should something start to burn before someone confesses, multiple confessions are necessary to catch the wildfire’s attention and distract it from the fuel source it is feeding on. Two or more Star Children will need to make confessions whose memories are shared in the flames. Water powers can also help quell the flames, but confessions are necessary in the end.
Once July hits, the wildfires are mostly gone, only sparking up here and there on occasion. In their stead are embers. They spark in the air like fireflies and fly around Folkmore, attracted to Star Children. These embers land on Star Children and make them glow. There’s no pain. In fact, the embers provide sparks of insight into memories, situations, and other emotional dilemmas that Star Children haven’t previously understood. Talking the issue over with another Star Children provides further emotional clarity.
Spirits are welcoming to both embers and Star Children. Confessionshelp Folkmore grow as well. Gardens bloom in beautiful displays. Crops grow healthy and joyful. It’s even possible to hear humming from some of the vegetables and fruits. The land grows with the Star Children. Anyone who lacks a green thumb can work their way around that with confessions! Save that dying plant and grow those tomatoes.
One time that a Star Child confesses, either to wildfire or to embers, they will find a jeweled box shaped like a flame. The peak of the flame comes off to reveal the insides. Within, there is an item from home. It may even be a weapon or magical item. Larger more meaningful confessions are more likely to receive weapons. These items may even be larger than should fit in the box or its entrance. Whether the box should only hold a single ring or fill the palm of one’s hand, these items fit. Star Children also can keep the jeweled box, and this one item from home can be stored within the box. Other items too large to fit the box will not enter it. Only the one from the box.
Fire! Fire across the realm! For the second half of June, wildfire burns everywhere. While it doesn’t hurt Star Children, it can reduce everything else to ash: homes, businesses, gardens, spirits. The local spirits will be in a panic and beg Star Children for help from small ice mice in Wintermute to fennec foxes in Cruel Summer. How can Star Children help? Confessions. Anything the person they are with doesn’t know. The more earnest and meaningful the better.
When wildfire erupts and spreads, Star Children may stand in or in front of an area they want to protect and confess something to another Star Child who happens to be nearby. Their neighbor? Their partner? A stranger lost in a new land? These confessions simply need to be something the other person doesn’t know to protect structures and spirits. Memories related to the confession will show in the fire. The fire will fuel these memories until they run out of energy, dying down to embers. At least in that place at that time.
Should something start to burn before someone confesses, multiple confessions are necessary to catch the wildfire’s attention and distract it from the fuel source it is feeding on. Two or more Star Children will need to make confessions whose memories are shared in the flames. Water powers can also help quell the flames, but confessions are necessary in the end.
Once July hits, the wildfires are mostly gone, only sparking up here and there on occasion. In their stead are embers. They spark in the air like fireflies and fly around Folkmore, attracted to Star Children. These embers land on Star Children and make them glow. There’s no pain. In fact, the embers provide sparks of insight into memories, situations, and other emotional dilemmas that Star Children haven’t previously understood. Talking the issue over with another Star Children provides further emotional clarity.
Spirits are welcoming to both embers and Star Children. Confessions
One time that a Star Child confesses, either to wildfire or to embers, they will find a jeweled box shaped like a flame. The peak of the flame comes off to reveal the insides. Within, there is an item from home. It may even be a weapon or magical item. Larger more meaningful confessions are more likely to receive weapons. These items may even be larger than should fit in the box or its entrance. Whether the box should only hold a single ring or fill the palm of one’s hand, these items fit. Star Children also can keep the jeweled box, and this one item from home can be stored within the box. Other items too large to fit the box will not enter it. Only the one from the box.
- Last two weeks of June, wildfire burns across Folkmore. After that, they are rare.
- Confessions can protect or rescue buildings, land areas, and spirits.
- Come July, embers spark across Folkmore like fireflies. They provide insight for Star Children. Talking helps.
- Confessions help the land grow.
- Confessions reveal a jeweled box containing an item from home.
Bobby Drake | XMCU | Legend | Current Character
[ It has been very disorienting thus far being in these shifting halls. Raising hands that are now gradually turning ice, he prepares himself for whatever comes out. There has been some rustling a few meters before him, so as careful as he is, he tries to investigate, only to hear some laughter behind him.
He immediately looks back, but nothing. ]
Hey, who's there? Show yourself. [
I'm no longer trembliiiingBlue eyes scan the area and he proceeds to take a few steps further as the wall behind him closes. ]FLAMES TO EMBERS
[ Once he heard there's wildfire, Bobby's quick to jump into action, deeming his ice powers to be the perfect match for this. He thinks with just enough ice, he'll be able to put a stop on the raging flames. Something's amiss, though, once he's before a wall of fire and he tries to put it out with his ice. It doesn't.
Puzzled, he tries again, but the same thing happens. There's also something strange about the fire, as if otherworldly in essence. He can't quite put his finger on why but it's almost unsurprising given the nature of this world. He backs away, hands still made of ice, before he hears someone confessing something not far from where he stands and then the fire goes out.
Is this how one should quell the flames? Brows creasing, Bobby closes his eyes for a second, hands returning to normal as he breathes in and lets it out in a sigh. Once his blue eyes are open, he addresses the fire before him. ]
I didn't leave John. Even after everything, I never left him. I - [ And even before Bobby finishes, the scene plays out before him. The way he only knocked him out, the way he saved him on Alcatraz. And the fire's out. ]
OOC
[ i can match both prose and brackets 😊 feel free to hit me up at
ghost tours
Just her luck, but she's definitely survived weirder.
It's the other mutant that Bobby hears (this time), and the voice startles her as much as it gives her hope. Somehow, it feels solid, so she navigates towards it, relieved to find an actual person instead of something decidedly else.]
Just me. Tryin' to find mah way out.
[Her gaze scans over his hands, and she lifts an eyebrow before settling on his features briefly. There's a feeling of deja vu rather than full recognition before her head snaps in the direction of that damned laughter again.]
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After a moment of stunned silence, he approaches her, blue eyes softening as recognition settles in. He wants to hug her, because even though he has parted ways with his Rogue, any version of her is dear to him. A good friend.
But Bobby just settles for a gentle smile. ] Yeah, I'm also trying to find my way out. I'm Bobby, by the way. I don't think we've met? [ We have, back home. "Welcome to Mutant High." ]
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At the introduction, her features split into a bright smile and even though it's clearly not her Bobby, it's an Iceman from the looks of it. Unless these are just really eerie coincidences.]
No, we haven't, but ah know my universe's Iceman real well. [Not romantically, but they've been X-Men together for a long time. His powers were some of her favorite to borrow too.]
Ah'm Rogue, as ah'm sure you've guessed. [There's a beat.] An' if you know mah actual name, ah'd appreciate it if you'd keep that to yourself here. Ah've been stickin' to Rogue.
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Sure, I won't tell. [ It's Marie, he adds in his head. ] It's good to know you also know an Iceman in your own world. My Rogue and I, well - [ Pauses, tries to find the correct words, his smile turning fonder. ] - we're good friends, too.
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Her eyebrows lift into the frame of her bangs at the way he refers to his relationship with his Rogue, but maybe he's not out at this point.] Really? Us? [Well not them specifically because of the evident age gap, but the question stands.]
How 'bout we hold off on the full download until after we're out of this ghost maze?
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Her question, though, earns a nod from him. ] Right. Do you have any ideas, though? Kinda stuck here for a while now.
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Well every time ah've gone through a door or made mah own, it's closed up on me. So ah'd say we keep movin' forward. Try an' find an exit that way.
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That's a good plan as any. I mean moving forward always has been.
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"You know, I think I like putting out fires the old-fashioned way as opposed to this forced sharing," He says, looking over at the kid.
He can see a few flames start to lick up as a memory starts to come to him of how horrible he'd been before he got away from Gerrard.
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"Yeah, me too." Bobby replies, trying his best not to sound aloof after what he just shared. In his effort, he clears his throat so his tone is a bit more genial. "Tried taking them out with my ice, but it's useless." Normally, it wouldn't take a lot for him to put out fires with his ice powers, but those fires aren't magical either.
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The scene is of an older firefighter saying all manner of slurs and degrading two firefighters, a younger version of Tommy standing behind him saying nothing, again Tommy saying nothing at a dinner table in a firehouse, as homophobic rhetoric starts to spill from the man's mouth.
Tommy knew what he had to do; he'd seen what the person next to him had done to put the flames out. "I'm the one that reported you; you thought I was like you, but I reported you; I sent the letters in that got you transferred; you should have been fired. I should have said something to your face, but I... I wasn't strong enough..."
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The scene is visceral and speaks so much about what being a mutant, as well as being a minority, is like in a society that isn't fit for them. It hits too close to home that Bobby visibly looks away. This confession thing never gets easier as they're always being made privy to someone else's memory that they might not even be comfortable sharing. Once the man's done with his confession, Bobby glances back at him with a sympathetic look.
"Sorry you had to do that." Is all he can ever manage to say, really.
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"Sorry, you had to do it too," He says, holding out his hand, "I'm Tommy, Tommy Kinard."
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"It's fine. No judgment here," He says and actually chuckles a little at that Narnia comment. "Hiding who you truly are can lead to all sorts of bad things." Something he knows quite well.
"Nice to meet you, Tommy. I'm Bobby." He takes the hand and shakes it, his palm still a bit cool from his powers. "Bobby Drake."
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"I know a Bobby back home; he's a really good man," He says, smiling a little at the guy's name.
"So you get the ice thing here? Seems to be a trend in this place."
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At the question, though, Bobby smiles. "Nope, I've already had it back home. We're called mutants. Kinda like people with powers." Which is the most succint explanation he can give.
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embers
Two people need to be present for a confession to work, and she approaches in time for Bobby's.
Between the ice and his words, there's not much left for her to do besides nod in his direction. ]
Good job.
[ She won't ask for clarification. That had been for the fire. ]
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He does acknowledge Natasha after a bit, though, with a smile. ]
Thanks. [ Slight pause. ] You doing alright? [ Genuine concern, there, because the things they've been confessing aren't easy for the most part. ]
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Shouldn't I be asking you that?
[ She shrugs a little. ]
It's the job.
[ Your turn. ]
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I guess, yeah. [ Pauses a little, smile widening. ] Thanks, it wasn't easy. This whole thing isn't.
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Which whole thing?
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[ Because some of these are too personal to be shared with a stranger. ]
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Could be worse. Could be with someone who you know. You never have to talk to me again and I have no idea what any of that, [ gestures to the fire ] was about. And you don't have to explain it, either.
[ Some things, Natasha doesn't need to know. And it's easier to confess to people who... aren't involved. At least, for her it would be. ]
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Right, uh. That's actually a good way of looking at it.
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