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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 βCurrent Character.β
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.
π¦ 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.
π¦ 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 doesnβt 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 doesnβt 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 doesnβt 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 wildfireβs 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. Thereβs no pain. In fact, the embers provide sparks of insight into memories, situations, and other emotional dilemmas that Star Children havenβt 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. Itβs 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 oneβs 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 doesnβt 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 doesnβt 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 doesnβt 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 wildfireβs 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. Thereβs no pain. In fact, the embers provide sparks of insight into memories, situations, and other emotional dilemmas that Star Children havenβt 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 oneβs 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.
pepper potts | mcu | legend
I
"Not now, FRI," he says, scooping the woman up in one hand, attempting to fly with only three repulsors. It works okay, and they at least manage to get close enough to the ground to crash safely, dropping the woman onto the ground before impact.
"Boss." She tries again.
"I said not no-" She zooms in on Pepper's face on the HUD, and the complaint dies on Tony's tongue. He manages to have the good sense to deactivate the Iron Man armor before running the 50 feet over to her. "Pep- When did- How did-" Don't worry about the horns and the fangs and the claws, Pepper. That's all perfectly normal around these parts. "Okay, hi." A beat. "Missed you."
no subject
After the exhalation and the inevitable once-over (fangs, claws, horns, suit looks funny) what actually comes out of her mouth is, "That landing was terrible, are you hurt?"
no subject
Tony can't quite help himself and he gently places his fingers at the backs of her elbows, trying to encourage her closer, out of Necessary Professional Distance and into Wife Distance. "I'm alright. You know me; I'm used to rough landings.
How's-" Morgan? "Things?"
no subject
She's easily coaxed to move, to let herself be at half an arm's length, because she has forgotten to be occasionally uncertain and self-conscious about it. Which is mostly the case now, since she has been shrieking death threats at reporters: about as much her usual style as boss-dating is.
"You might actually be in the dictionary next to rough landings, if we include metaphorical ones. Can't argue. I actually hit a San Francisco Examiner staff writer with a less valuable shoe this morning and now I'm here!" Very sleep-deprived adrenaline rush mode. "Does my hair look completely terrible? How long have you been here, since I get the impression that doesn't ... there's no attempt to line that up."
Something about Tony Stark doesn't match the one she saw yesterday. Besides the added appendages. The nimbus around her head flickers as she tries to figure it out, but she's not sureβ
"βyou're older. That's it. Not older than me, I mean, I knew that, if that changed I would be more concerned than this kind of, I'm not really concerned, I'm just overwhelmed and doing that talking fast thing I do when I'm overwhelmed that I don't really need to tell you anything about! but you're older than I think you should be."
no subject
God, but the rest of it... Where does he even start? He makes a popping sound with his lips and goes, "Yeah, uh- Just turned 54." That... Kind of sums it up. No, it doesn't, Tony, he hears, in Happy's particularly scolding tone of voice. "It's... There is-" Okay, Tony feels a panic attack coming on, which he swallows down with some slow gulps of air. "So much to catch you up on."
Iron Man's entire official career, mostly. With a side helping of 'We Got Married' sprinkled with 'We Have A Child' for some flavor. Oh and the aliens, the literal Norse gods, the Giant Purple People-Snapper, Vision and FRIDAY and Ultron, and- Tony sort of feels like he's going to faint, he really should stop thinking so hard. It's very bad for his blood pressure.
"I've, uh- Been here 18 months, though." A beat. "Roughly." Another beat. "Kinda hard to keep track. There's magic; you'll see."
no subject
"Eighteenββwhat." Pepper is very good at math, see. She was a math major in undergrad. She has a masters' degree in accounting and business management. She knows that she saw him under 24 hours ago. On the other hand, the fox did explain all that, so it should be far less surprising than it apparently is landing when it's someone she knows better than he knows himself, sometimes. "I. Okay. Hair is fine! Good. That's a good start. And somehow eighteen months and twelve years are the same amount of time and so is fourteen hours, that'sβthat part got left out of the explanation."
Always the pragmatist, Pepper takes a deep breath and is about to suggest sitting down, but then a knife goes flying right past her face because there are still mad hungry ghosts all over, and it just dissolves into a strangled yelp instead of a suggestion.
"Can we go talk somewhere else," she squeaks.
no subject
But first, he'll reactivate the Mark L and fire a few repulsor blasts in the ghost who threw the knife's direction. He's not exactly expecting his tech to really do anything to the ghosts other than maybe slow them down and keep them from getting too close, but one of the shots hits its mark and the ghost disappears in a wisp of ectoplasm.
Tony easily scoops up Pepper, carrying her bridal style, before running in the direction of one of the few nicer and less rundown garages around Cruel Summer. There's a sign above the door, declaring it as Tony's Robot Repair: A Hospital For Synthetics. He knocks on the door, in a definitive pattern, though one few people would know how to replicate: Pause, knock-knock, pause, knock, a longer pause, another knock. A pause, knock-knock, pause, knock-knock-knock, pause. The pattern translates to 'in' from binary. The door opens on its own a moment later.
"Welcome to my new business," Tony says as he sets Pepper back down on the floor.
Pepper will recognize DUM-E and U, off in a corner, who both turn their head/hand in her direction excitedly. DUM-E waves. She won't recognize the robotic redhead who is also waving at her, but FRIDAY is at least polite and vocal enough to quickly introduce herself at least. "Miss Potts, I'm FRIDAY; Tony's copilot," she says in her tinny Irish brogue, sticking out a metal hand for Pepper to shake if she wants.
1.
"You know, ghosts could come up here if they want," he says in concern. He could offer to take her away from the roof, but they'll still be stuck in this wild town. He's only got the faintest idea of what to do.
no subject
He has wings and looks reasonably competent! Maybe he knows!
"I'm still not thinking," she adds, a useless confession in light of how the confessions aren't needed here.
no subject
no subject
Alas, but he may be as new as she is.
"Trying the direction the nice one suggested sounds like a good start?"
no subject
ii
This is unfortunately one of those times where he's sure his suit is not immediately in reach, so he has to go out as just Peter.
His emotions are charged enough his own wings have emerged. They're draped over him, feeling like a sense of safety against the heat of the fire. Pepper Potts, someone he only knows in snatches in comparison to Tony is a surprise to see. A pleasant enough surprise. Even if Peter absently worries about the child the two had.
"Hi, miss Pepper, ma'am-" He greets awkwardly, out of suit he assumes she has no idea who he even is. "If its okay if I call you that, if not we can figure something else out! Whatever you prefer!"
He struggles for a second to find a confession, something he hasn't already said before. He fumbles a little as the fire weakens, but tries to eat more wood in its wake. The embers crackling loudly. "Sometimes I really miss the girl I used to date, but I know she has to be doing way better without me, and I'm glad she's going to be way happier. I'm afraid to say anything because I don't want to make my current boyfriend feel weird or bad about it!"
no subject
"If you want to," she says, and then gives it away, "But I'm not sure I have the sort of social or employment rank that merits anything more than just Pepper, which is fineβoh, don't," Pepper grapples for the right word. She doesn't entirely find it, having to stop for a second to think as the crackles briefly overwhelm her voice. "Don't put yourself down like that!" There it is, even if she has to yell slightly over the fire. "I think you might still be there anyway, based on how it was explained to me, or time stopped, or something like that! I'm trying to run with pretending that it makes sense to me without thinking too hard." The fire quiets down a little bit, as it shrinks in response to the conversation. "If he's a good boyfriend you'll be allowed to miss people without it being weird, just maybe try to phrase it as that you wouldn't want to change anything aboutβI'm not supposed to be giving advice, am I."
She definitely still looks overtired, running a hand over her forehead to push back some flame-sweaty hair.
"I like giving advice far too much for someone who isn't always all that good at it," Pepper says, and taking it as a confession, the fires recede a little more. "Oh."
no subject
"Still! Uh, I like to be polite!" He is willing to just go with Pepper until she changes her mind. "Oh, uh, thank you- It feels complicated, but it probably isn't! The advice is nice though." He's going to side step some of the tangled web (Ha) that is MJ, Leo and everything else that entails.
He eyes the fire, mentally trying to think. "I-uh." He fumbles awkwardly. The next words come out in a rushed tumble, Peter avoiding Pepper's gaze somewhat. "I don't even really feel bad anymore about not missing my parents. I don't even remember them anymore! I'm supposed to feel sad, but I only felt bad for my aunt and uncle's sake sometimes! How do you miss someone you don't know!"
That is a large enough confession the fire loses further power to it. Peter hasn't really verbally ever admitted the thought aloud.
ii
"Hi, Miss Pepper. I'm Cale."
He offers his hand to shake in greeting, stoic expression broken by a polite smile. The shift into the 'elegant young master' role is second nature to him at this point.
"I used to be called 'trash'. But I liked it because it meant I could do whatever I wanted, and my step-brother could inherit the duchy."
He misses the days before the cheers of 'Young Master Silver Shield' began haunting him.
ii.
sansa wears a grey linen dress with sleeves belled at the elbows, decorated with dancing silver fish. the hem falls just below her knees, revealing black leggings and boots, and an elaborate chatelaine hangs from her wide leather belt. lady follows in a grey linen collar.
she gazes up at the woman shouting and smiles.]
Hallo, Pepper, I'm Sansa. It's good to meet you. Pepper is a lovely name, and your hair is lovely too. I had to dye my hair when I was hiding. There was a bounty out for a girl with red hair named Sansa Stark, so I became a girl with dark hair named Alayne Stone.
[but some of the distress seems to be coming from pepper, and sansa's brows knit together.]
Have you been flying around for very long?
[she looks a bit...disheveled, perhaps?]
i
"Well, well, well," He said as he landed by Pepper, his deep voice sounding oddly casual and only with a slight robotic tinge to it. "It's Tony's babysitter." He knew all about Pepper, of course. He'd absorbed tons of information both in SHIELD files and off the internet about her, including every mention in all those trashy tabloids that just loved to follow her and Tony's relationship. Of course, information didn't translate to knowledge, something that Ultron was still figuring out.