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folkmore mod ([personal profile] folkie) wrote in [community profile] folkmeme2024-06-12 06:46 am
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June-July 2024 Test Drive Meme

June-July 2024 TDM
Introduction

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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 OnePrompt Two]

Ghost Tours .
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.

  • 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
Flames to Embers .
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. Confessions help 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.

  • 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.
mentalgymnastics: (b001)

[personal profile] mentalgymnastics 2024-06-22 05:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, with a rapier and a rifle. I think the ability to use both kind of came from my persona, but I feel certain I could still hold my own.

[She's an athlete after all, she could probably pack a punch if needed.]
unrival: (084)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-06-23 03:01 am (UTC)(link)
[Squints. (What the heck is a rifle.)]

Swords are easy enough. If we run into trouble, I can make you a weapon.
mentalgymnastics: (c002-pixiv-user-17332822)

[personal profile] mentalgymnastics 2024-06-25 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
Oh really? That's amazing, Amity. We'll definitely be fine if we're working together then.

[She smiles as she rests her arms on her knees]
unrival: (001)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-06-25 02:08 am (UTC)(link)
It won't be anything fancy, but in my experience, you mostly just need the pointy end.

[It's worked well enough any time she needed a blade.]
mentalgymnastics: (264)

[personal profile] mentalgymnastics 2024-06-25 04:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Doesn't need to be anything fancy to keep us alive afterall.

[If it has a pointy end and is light enough for her to handle, then that's all she needs.]
unrival: (026)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-06-25 11:22 pm (UTC)(link)
That's my thought, too!

[She probably could make fancy swords if she wanted, but it would take her focus away from actual combat. Simple weapons are best in a hurry.]

Oh, before we move on, we should have water bottles for the road. I'm not sure if drinking directly from the river is safe... [It's sort of hit or miss with smaller bodies of water. She's not even sure it's freshwater, considering it connects to the ocean.] Did the fox explain how to pay for things with lore?
mentalgymnastics: (7)

[personal profile] mentalgymnastics 2024-06-26 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
How to what? She explained lore to me, that we are generating it together right now by interacting, but not how to summon things...

[She tilts her head at the other girl, curious and giving her undivided attention.]
unrival: (003)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-06-27 04:20 am (UTC)(link)
Oh! I'll show you, then.

[Amity reaches to her hip, uncapping a little pot tied to her belt, and calls out a snake of purple, slime-like substance. With a spin of her wrist, it forms into a cup. She stands up with it.]

Just a second! I'll get water.

[Back to the river she goes! And in a moment, she returns to the shelter with a filled cup.]

Now, do you have your spoon with you?
mentalgymnastics: (c010-pixiv-user-17332822)

[personal profile] mentalgymnastics 2024-06-28 06:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[Sumire watches, eyes a little round with amazement to say the least. But when the question comes, she nods.

Reaching into her jacket pocket, she pulls out the strange spoon she's found. It looks much like a flower, green handle and a rainbow violet for the spoon.
]

This right? I... um, woke up with it in my pocket.
unrival: (054)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-06-29 04:13 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, exactly! [Oh, that is a cute spoon she has. Amity sets the cup down between them.] Just put your spoon in this, and wish for a water bottle!
mentalgymnastics: (8)

[personal profile] mentalgymnastics 2024-06-29 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay. [Amity hasn't led her wrong yet so... she puts her spoon in the cup of water and takes a breath.] I wish for a water bottle.

[A pause and then POOF right there next to them is the exact one she was imagining in her mind.]

Oh! It worked, that's amazing. Does that work with everything you could wish for?
unrival: (016)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-06-30 10:54 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm not sure about everything. You can't summon people. [Whether that means she's tried or if she was only told, well...] Objects from home, or animals, even buildings, those are all fair game.
mentalgymnastics: (7)

[personal profile] mentalgymnastics 2024-07-02 08:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Animals but not people... interesting. I suppose that makes some sense.

[She opens the water bottle and drinks some of the cold water.]

Guess we just wait now?
unrival: (081)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-07-08 02:22 am (UTC)(link)
Now that we have a way to get fresh water, we should probably get going, actually. It's only going to get worse when it's night- the heat might not be so bad, but wandering through the dark with dangerous creatures around is a great way to get eaten.

[Amity summons a bottle for herself before tossing the river water out of the shelter and sending the purple goo back into her pot.]
mentalgymnastics: (233)

[personal profile] mentalgymnastics 2024-07-11 10:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Good plan. If we stick to the river it shouldn't lead us astray. [Or she hopes.

Gracefully getting to her feet, she stretches a little and waits for Amity, offering a hand if she needs it.
]

We have a long walk ahead of us.
unrival: (056)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-07-12 04:50 am (UTC)(link)
[While she doesn't strictly need it, and is surprised at first, Amity gladly accepts the hand up, and starts down the river's pathway, towards the next patch of civilization.]

We do, but at least we won't get lost. And if we need to rest again, I can make another shelter. And we'll always have water! We'll be okay.

[One big perk of travelling in pairs- they'll never be too broke to afford water. They'd only need to exchange a few words.]
mentalgymnastics: (EUd6ViY)

[personal profile] mentalgymnastics 2024-07-13 08:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Perfect, sounds like an excellent plan. Plus, being by the river we can always take a dip if we need to cool off.

[She smiles pleasantly as they make their way down the riverside. It will be an easy enough walk with good company.]