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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.
no subject
And humans could become Nightsisters, as Morgan's own heritage showed.
She turned to look at the younger woman, a sharp and victorious smirk on her face. And she recognized that look - the Empire wood have been a good place for her - "Morgan Elsbeth", was all she gave as an introduction, "come travel with me."
no subject
But he'd been too busy with his brand new butt-buddy Ally, his army of bros, and his own importance to give a fuck about what Winter wanted anymore. She never would have thought him capable of killing her, never. But he was and he did and now she owed him nothing.
At least that's what she told herself.
Winter was smiling in full appreciation. That smirk sealed the deal, she was sticking as close as possible, as often as possible. Play the ingenue at first, she was good at that, then leave little breadcrumbs of darkness and power hunger behind. "Absolutely. Can I say that I'm really glad to meet you, Morgan? Because I am. My name's Winter Anderson. Are you new, too?"
Cw: Genocide
"I am. A pleasure to meant you Winter Anderson." Her hands resumed their normal place, clasped over one another at her back as she glanced at where the door she had charged through had been. "Do you remember where the door you entered was?"
Cw: Genocide, gross gender roles--"beta" males vs. "real" men
And she widened her eyes a bit and made a show of chewing on her lower lip contemplatively. "I think it's this way," she said, moving to the back of the building. "Like a restaurant kitchen, only there wasn't any food in it."
Cw: Genocide, gross gender roles, Nightsisters are worse
Morgan had just never found someone who was worthy of it, especially as she has a strong preference for Nightbrothers.
"If the doorway still exists. They have been disappearing." But she headed that way anyway, not hopeful so much as determined.
Cw: Genocide, gross gender roles, Nightsisters are worse, mental manipulation
"Great. So we're stuck wandering the world's most depressing haunted house until we find the exit?"
no subject
"Just keep the end of your weapon pointed down to the ground, or up to the ceiling, and follow me. We'll figure it out."
(CW: murder)
She'd made a good go at being a normal college student at Vassar, had a nice circle of friends, but none of them knew who Winter truly was. Except, she thought, for Kai and in the end he'd trusted that bitch Ally over Winter, murdering her with about as much remorse as swatting a fly.
And Winter nodded at Morgan's instructions. "Will do. But you gotta tell me how you were able to do that other stuff. The holding the other ghosts off thing."
She probably should've included a 'please' somewhere in there.
(CW: murder/violent dictatorship)
Truthfully, Morgan felt little emotion when she dispatched someone, personally, via her HK droid, or by simply working them until they dropped in her factories and mines. There were some she'd have emotion over, of course, but in general, she felt none - they had made it clear she wasn't one of them, and she treated them accordingly.
She should have, but Morgan would give her an allowance for her youth, inexperience, and girlhood. A young man, even a boy, would likely get a pop in the mouth for it. "Magick, as is the birthright of any Witch of Dathomir. Taught to me by my mother, her mother, and all the women of my mother's Clan." There's pride and strength in her voice.
(CW: murder/violent dictatorship, dark web, sexism, bullying, trolling)
She'd always been...not exactly a good person. She thrived on the dark web, scrolling through images of dead bodies and badly injured people the way other people scrolled through beautiful imbeciles on insta. She trolled SJWs with no remorse, thrilling every time she got a 'shaking and crying' reaction.
So for Winter, the transition between trolling and killing was relatively seamless.
And her eyes widened in appreciation at Morgan's explanation. "...damn. Real magick. Can anyone join the Witches of Dathomir or is it like a bloodline thing? What you did was amazing." And Winter wants that kind of power so badly she can almost taste it.
CW: hunting, child soilders, reverse sexism, menarche
She'd never gotten the chance. Grievous had slain her Mother and Sisters and the Brothers as well. And she'd found few worthy after that, and never at a proper timing.
Regardless, when Morgan found herself alone at seventeen, she had all the skills she needed to survive and they were well practiced.
"No not just anyone. You must prove yourself. And many die during such trials. But if she were to survive, then she may join us. And of course our daughters are inducted after other rites soon after proving themselves strong." She had a dim memory of one sister and the weaking kit she produced. The Fanged God wouldn't accept her, so she was given back to the Winged Goddess.
CW: hunting, child soilders, reverse sexism, menarche, murder, cannibalization
Winter was on her own here and she needed every possible advantage to get ahead. Ahead of what, she didn't know, but she knew there'd be something.
"So...does that mean I can do it? I'll do whatever it takes to prove myself," she asked intently. Granted, that might involve blowing her cover way earlier than expected, but. No great loss.
no subject
"You would have to learn certain weaponry as well."
no subject
"That's more than fine. I should learn weaponry anyway," she said with a nod of agreement. Whatever Morgan needed of her to make Winter like her, she'd do.
no subject
"You should. Bladed weapons and lightbows are expected, then more once those are mastered." She didn't say that Nightsisters mastered those as children.
no subject
"All right, well sign me up for lessons. Isn't there some kind of weapons school here? But if it's okay, I'd like you to you know, supervise me? To make sure I'm doing as well as I'm supposed to." It was a learning curve, but Winter had almost always exceeded what she had to do.
no subject
"If not, I can provide. I was expected to assist in teaching our younger Sisters." Morgan had been born in a place of privilege by way of Selena's Clan Mother status - but there had been heavy responsibilities as well, and she'd felt their weight at a young age and rose to meet them. "But yes, I would insist on overseeing them." In general, if not in everyday practice.
(CW: 'gay' used as a slur, cult)
Honestly, Winter was this close to simply wanting to watch the world burn. Any world. She'd throw lighter fluid and matches onto any blaze she could find.
"I'd appreciate that. Really. Anything and everything I can learn, I wanna learn. I'm not gonna let myself be thrown away ever again." Instead, Winter would do the throwing. Anyone weaker than her? Fuck them. It was her turn now.
no subject
"Dathomir wasn't involved in the politics of the larger galaxy, we preferred to be left to our own devices, our own practices, our own gods." Because this was important. "We were arranged in clans, led by Clan Mothers, like mine. One of their daughters would inherit that place, with some other daughters staying on to support her Sister, and others starting their own Clan branch, assuming she had many daughters. If she had only sons and no Sisters with daughters, she'd pick among the most talented of the daughters of the Clan. If she had an exceptional son, and he fathered a daughter, she would likely choose her. But it isn't uncommon for us to not know our fathers, or who our sons sire." It's said with a shrug, clearly something that didn't bother her. "Typically sons are sent to the Nightbrother village after they are weaned and will have little contact with their mother, unless she desires to, but no one will find a fault if she doesn't." Morgan continued to walk, carefully, investigating, as she explained. "Nightsisters will, when they desire a mate, travel to the village and battle her Brothers, until one is left standing - he has now proven himself worthy of her and is hers to do with as she pleases."
(CW: sex referenced)
"Okay. I love the sound of all of that. Women are so much better at running things than men could ever be, that's why where I'm from we're squashed down and told that our only value is to a man. Men are good for cheap sex, but not much else. It's amazing that where you're from, they actually realize that and don't start shit, it's completely the opposite from where I lived. My brother promised me power, a say in the new world order he wanted to create, but all that went to hell in the end." And she grinned again. "Like gladiator fights where the guys all want you and they'll do as you say? Sweet." And Winter's look of hunger only increased.
(CW: sex referenced)/sexual slavery/sexism
"Your brother should be soundly punished for his disloyalty and betrayal," for all Morgan’s voice was cold, it was a cutting, biting kind of cold, dangerous and sharp. "Shame he is not here, and I alone. A few of my sisters and I could correct such behavior." Both through torture and mind control. She believe Winter might enjoy the idea of having her brother screwed down under her thumb.
"They fight one another yes, but ultimately the Sister, providing to be close to her equal in battle. As a child, it's common for young kits to understand it as you mate can be made to do your chores." That at least warms her voice. She'd had that conversation with Mother and she knew many others did too. But it also wasn't inaccurate.
(CW: sex referenced)/sexual slavery/sexism
Winter's eyes widened and a smile curved her lips as she thought of Kai being humiliated and humbled and subject to her whims instead of the other way around. She loved the sound of it, the mental picture it gave her. She should've known that Kai in the end would betray all the women in the group.
Well, all but that bitch Ally.
"Seriously? That's amazing. And the guys don't complain, they just do as they're told? It sounds like everything I've ever hoped for," she said, her eyes sparkling.
CW: The Empire and it's slavery and mass murder
But she is noting Winter's reactions. "Grand Admiral Thrawn comes from a culture which honors warriors, and they don't believe they need be male. In fact, his ships navigators - arguably one of the most important positions on a bridge crew - are young females, apparently a cultural custom. The young women are then groomed to be captains themselves as they outgrow the position. His people are interesting, if secretive." She was aware Thrawn would kill to protect his crew, and had. But they would do the same for him and she understood why. "They aren't human, you need to understand. And they don't look as human as I do."
"No they complain. They may not like it, especially if the Sister they are mated to is heavy handed but we lived separate lives more often than not, even those mated. I don't remember many of my older Sisters' mates around often, although they may have been when we were all much younger." She meant the Sisters who were closer in age to her, given the number of them, they had to have mates around then.
"We're being followed by the way." She's calm about it, clearly not concerned.
CW: The Empire and it's slavery and mass murder
"I like this Thrawn guy, what his society is like, too. I swear, women think they've made so many steps forward where I'm from, but when it came down to it, no one had the balls to elect a woman as president. It's bullshit. She was easily the most qualified person who'd ever ran for president. "They don't? Are they like the little grey guys with huge eyes like people back home say aliens look like?" She was eager to know. The notion that aliens were real was enough of a surprise, but one she wanted to know everything about.
"It's better that way," Winter said confidently. "If you trust a guy, he's always going to betray you somewhere down the line. It doesn't matter if they're family or not, it's just part of who they are. I hate them."
She'd never admitted that before, but Kai and his army of Fight Club wannabes had fucked her over and she wanted revenge.
CW: The Empire and it's slavery and mass murder
"The Empire isn't overly open to women in positions of leadership, you'll find most of us in the Outer Rim or under the protection of what few officers aren't as ignorant." She didn't accept it, but she'd learned to tamp down the open rage and use it to fuel her connection to her magick, fuel her strength. "The Rear Admiral is very tall, taller than most males. His eyes are red, iris and sclera both. His hair is black, but his skin is a pale blue. This is how Chiss look. My Sisters without human bloodlines are pair as chalk, with white hair. We tend toward brown, black, or grey eyes. Occasionally some are born with hornbuds, but this is very rare. Our Brothers tend to have skin tones of yellow and orange, with red being very rare and prized. They are born with hornbuds, which in time grow into horns. Generally, they form a crown around the head and Brothers shave their heads to show them off, even as kits." She gives a moment, and allows the young woman to take that in. "Sentient beings come in all shapes and colors really."
"It sounds like plenty of reason to hate them. You might find males of another species more agreeable. Or no males at all, no one will mind."
CW: The Empire and it's slavery and mass murder