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August-September 2024 Test Drive Meme
August-September 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 a canon item from home, 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: Potential Wilderness Survival, Potential Death
New Star Children arrive in Amrita Academy, the largest school in Folkmore. They might arrive in the medical wing, or they could arrive in areas of the school that don't look like a school at all: forests with animals to hunt or gather, including for their medicinal properties; rocky crags with climbing routes; fields full of growing grains; meadows with sheep covered in soft wool; lakes and rivers with unusual denizens. It's like a miniature of Folkmore all in one school.
A fox with a clipped ear and a few scars greets each Star Child upon arrival. She explains that while things can be summoned with Lore, the best survivors learn to scavenge and to find what they need. New Star Children haven't earned much Lore yet, so that surely applies to them double. In fact, as befits a survival school, there are items that will help Star Children survive hidden all around and immediately outside the school. Star Children are directed to make a list on their Relic of everything they think they need to survive. Once made, the list cannot be changed. They will be more likely to find those items than others (though it will not be impossible).
Race, jog, or stroll around the expansive school in search of these items: clothes, bags, first aid kits, tents, survival supplies, etc. They might be harder to find than expected as they will be miniature and in little cubes aka survival squares (a misnomer). These cubes may be tucked away above, below, beside, or inside something. They also may float against a rock face or in the air among tree branches. The most likely locations are those densest in Lore. The longer Star Children explore, the more they will realize that these cubes are best and most easily obtained by working together. In fact, they will try to dodge and avoid the grip of a Star Child more than ten feet away from any other Star Child. Perhaps that's because two Star Children interacting are creating Lore and a Lore dense location? Once two Star Children touch the cube at the same time, the cube will disappear, and the item inside will grow to full size. Congratulations on being one step closer to survival. Remember to share.
Come mid-September, few cubes will remain inside the school. Star Children will have to check the perimeter of the school to find more survival squares. That task grows exponentially harder as the cubes are in the molasses-thick moat of concentrated Lore surrounding the school. Should anyone dip their spoon in the moat, in the Lorasses if you will, they will find that it tastes sweet, a rich spicy sweetness. Amazing! Less amazing? It is impossible to get past the moat of Lorasses. No matter how strong a swimmer or oarsman, it is impossible to make headway through or atop the Lorasses. Anyone attempting to fly across the moat will find themselves slapped by a giant sticky slappy hand rising like a goliath from the depths with perfect aim. Star Children can find themselves slapped anywhere from the shore to the center of the school. Star Children are free to get creative with ways to dig the survival squares out of the Lorasses, but beware! They'll have difficulty freeing themselves on their own from the sticky substance, should they fall in.
Since Star Children are likely to find themselves in sticky situations quite literally, they may be pleased to know that Amrita Academy has showers available for use. Unfortunately, due to one student's experiment, the shampoo is all made of beer. That's right, beer. It's good for one's hair! Or so the study should demonstrate. Be sure to fill out a feedback card outside the locker rooms.
New Star Children arrive in Amrita Academy, the largest school in Folkmore. They might arrive in the medical wing, or they could arrive in areas of the school that don't look like a school at all: forests with animals to hunt or gather, including for their medicinal properties; rocky crags with climbing routes; fields full of growing grains; meadows with sheep covered in soft wool; lakes and rivers with unusual denizens. It's like a miniature of Folkmore all in one school.
A fox with a clipped ear and a few scars greets each Star Child upon arrival. She explains that while things can be summoned with Lore, the best survivors learn to scavenge and to find what they need. New Star Children haven't earned much Lore yet, so that surely applies to them double. In fact, as befits a survival school, there are items that will help Star Children survive hidden all around and immediately outside the school. Star Children are directed to make a list on their Relic of everything they think they need to survive. Once made, the list cannot be changed. They will be more likely to find those items than others (though it will not be impossible).
Race, jog, or stroll around the expansive school in search of these items: clothes, bags, first aid kits, tents, survival supplies, etc. They might be harder to find than expected as they will be miniature and in little cubes aka survival squares (a misnomer). These cubes may be tucked away above, below, beside, or inside something. They also may float against a rock face or in the air among tree branches. The most likely locations are those densest in Lore. The longer Star Children explore, the more they will realize that these cubes are best and most easily obtained by working together. In fact, they will try to dodge and avoid the grip of a Star Child more than ten feet away from any other Star Child. Perhaps that's because two Star Children interacting are creating Lore and a Lore dense location? Once two Star Children touch the cube at the same time, the cube will disappear, and the item inside will grow to full size. Congratulations on being one step closer to survival. Remember to share.
Come mid-September, few cubes will remain inside the school. Star Children will have to check the perimeter of the school to find more survival squares. That task grows exponentially harder as the cubes are in the molasses-thick moat of concentrated Lore surrounding the school. Should anyone dip their spoon in the moat, in the Lorasses if you will, they will find that it tastes sweet, a rich spicy sweetness. Amazing! Less amazing? It is impossible to get past the moat of Lorasses. No matter how strong a swimmer or oarsman, it is impossible to make headway through or atop the Lorasses. Anyone attempting to fly across the moat will find themselves slapped by a giant sticky slappy hand rising like a goliath from the depths with perfect aim. Star Children can find themselves slapped anywhere from the shore to the center of the school. Star Children are free to get creative with ways to dig the survival squares out of the Lorasses, but beware! They'll have difficulty freeing themselves on their own from the sticky substance, should they fall in.
Since Star Children are likely to find themselves in sticky situations quite literally, they may be pleased to know that Amrita Academy has showers available for use. Unfortunately, due to one student's experiment, the shampoo is all made of beer. That's right, beer. It's good for one's hair! Or so the study should demonstrate. Be sure to fill out a feedback card outside the locker rooms.
- All new Star Children arrive in Amrita Academy.
- Star Children are greeted by a fox who prompts them to write a list of what they need to survive. These lists cannot be changed once made.
- Star Children search for tiny cubes with survival supplies, especially ones on their lists.
- Star Children must work together to catch & open the cubes.
- Come mid-September, Amrita Academy is surrounded by a Lore-rich molasses moat—Lorasses. Thou shalt not pass.
- Once the moat arrives, most cubes are in the moat. Shower to get clean afterward with beer for shampoo.
Content Warnings: Forced Close Contact, Coerced Behavior
It can be stressful to arrive in a new place among strangers and strange things. It can be even more stressful, sometimes, to be among people one knows. The fact remains that in Folkmore, no one is an island. The Shattered Spoon Shrine is a testament to that. Interact or perish. Those interactions usually don't even have to be positive. An emotionally charged argument generates Lore same as a touching reunion. However, Amrita's iteration has taken charge of Folkmore this month. She values cooperation and connection.
What does this mean for Star Children? It's time to get along.
When Star Children fight—physically, vocally, emotionally—they get stuck together in a magical t-shirt. This plain white t-shirt has 'This is our get along shirt' written on it on both sides, one in each Star Child's handwriting. (If a Star Child does not have handwriting, Thirteen will invent a handwriting she feels best represents them). The shirt works exactly as written on the tin. Until the two Star Children can get along, they will be stuck together in the shirt. Getting along can look a few different ways. It could be working through the reason they were fighting. It could be cooperating to accomplish something else. It could be helping someone else together. It could be large or small. Somehow, Star Children will have to get along to accomplish something.
The shirt will disappear, leaving them standing next to each other, only to reappear duplicated in each of their hands, perfectly sized to fit each individual. Should they so choose, either can be used for a repeat performance, with both of them trapped inside again. While the same condition will apply—they must get along to get out of the shirt—the shirt will now make it easier for them to work it out. Note: only the two people who originally wore the shirt can put it back on. No one else can wear these shirts.
One time only, a Star Child's cooperative escape will have an additional prize: their souvenir t-shirt will be wrapped around an item from either their home universe or their partner's. That's right, getting along can get a Star Child something from another universe.
It can be stressful to arrive in a new place among strangers and strange things. It can be even more stressful, sometimes, to be among people one knows. The fact remains that in Folkmore, no one is an island. The Shattered Spoon Shrine is a testament to that. Interact or perish. Those interactions usually don't even have to be positive. An emotionally charged argument generates Lore same as a touching reunion. However, Amrita's iteration has taken charge of Folkmore this month. She values cooperation and connection.
What does this mean for Star Children? It's time to get along.
When Star Children fight—physically, vocally, emotionally—they get stuck together in a magical t-shirt. This plain white t-shirt has 'This is our get along shirt' written on it on both sides, one in each Star Child's handwriting. (If a Star Child does not have handwriting, Thirteen will invent a handwriting she feels best represents them). The shirt works exactly as written on the tin. Until the two Star Children can get along, they will be stuck together in the shirt. Getting along can look a few different ways. It could be working through the reason they were fighting. It could be cooperating to accomplish something else. It could be helping someone else together. It could be large or small. Somehow, Star Children will have to get along to accomplish something.
The shirt will disappear, leaving them standing next to each other, only to reappear duplicated in each of their hands, perfectly sized to fit each individual. Should they so choose, either can be used for a repeat performance, with both of them trapped inside again. While the same condition will apply—they must get along to get out of the shirt—the shirt will now make it easier for them to work it out. Note: only the two people who originally wore the shirt can put it back on. No one else can wear these shirts.
One time only, a Star Child's cooperative escape will have an additional prize: their souvenir t-shirt will be wrapped around an item from either their home universe or their partner's. That's right, getting along can get a Star Child something from another universe.
- When Star Children get in a fight of any kind, not just physical, they get stuck together in a magical t-shirt.
- The shirt says “This is our get along shirt” front and back in characters’ own handwriting (or imagined handwriting).
- As written on the tin, Star Children are stuck until they figure out how to get along
- When they separate, both partners will get a copy of the t-shirt that fits them. They can choose to get back into said t-shirt together to figure out how to get along easier in the future.
- One time only, Star Children receive an item from their home universe or their partner’s.
no subject
She's pretty sure that Peter can adapt to just about any situation considering that he's been working on his threshold for weirdness a lot longer than MJ has, but this whole situation feels beyond adaptability. How many other dead people are around? How many dead people might show up without any sort of warning? What if a future version of Ned comes along and tells them that they'd both died years ago?
MJ's feeling light-headed enough that she's actually vaguely worried she might pass out, and she bites down on her lower lip hard in an effort to keep herself focused and in the moment. "How has none of this driven you insane?"
no subject
"Taking it one day at a time, generally. Knowing anything is possible is kinda... scary sometimes, but it also means, you can make your future anything too." If there is one thing Peter is, it's optimistic, hopeful. Even with his recent bout of anger at himself for May's death, at Norman Osborn, at everything, he can't seem to let go of that hope. That belief things can get better.
"I get to write my own story, even if it's not what people expected of me."
no subject
Burrowing her face against the crook of his neck and trying to will her nerves to settle as she throws all of her trust at Peter, she focuses on her breathing for a few moments, trying not to hyperventilate. Being in his arms feels simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar, and it's such an eerie sensation that she's not really sure she can do as he suggests. Writing her own story is one thing, but when the setting is so radically different from the one she's had her whole life, what is that next chapter even supposed to look like?
"It sounds like you've built a whole other life here," she mutters, hating that she feels a little embittered about it. It's good that he's done that, good that he isn't just a catatonic mess in the corner. He wouldn't be Peter if he couldn't adapt to even the worst situations, so if nothing else, she can be glad that he's here to help ease her into this. The multiverse is big enough that she could've ended up somewhere without Peter and have to navigate things on her own, and that's a more terrifying thought than she'd like to admit.
"How long did it take? Before things started feeling almost normal?"
no subject
"It took... time. A lot longer than I would've liked." Even with his optimism now, he can't lie and say it was somehow easy. It was never easy. He had to come to terms with what he thought was actual permanent death at the hands of Mysterio. Then come to terms with that not being real, and the reality he built for himself on that idea was shaky at best.
Time healed, as much as it hurt him. Leaving new and old scars, scabbed over, healed in strange ways. Peter had learned these hub worlds liked to pull you apart and put you back together strangely.
All you could ever do was keep moving forward. Keep trying to live.
"Having people helps, people who get you. Who help ground you." He adds with a soft sigh. "Being alone is a lot in these kinds of places."
no subject
And then he echoes the half-formed conclusion she'd come to on her own, telling her that having people helps. Having Peter helps. If she'd stumbled across Stark or saw someone sprout wings without having someone like Peter to both metaphorically and literally hold her hand through it all, she would have just laid down on the forest floor and refused to move until a fox or racoon or whatever came along and showed her the way back home.
"I'm glad you weren't alone," she tells him as she picks her head up to look at him, still stressed but offering him a small, genuine smile all the same. "Between Stark and whoever else you met here...."
Somehow, the phrasing of that feels off, making it sound like Peter's met someone rather than simply stating that he's simply much more sociable than she'll ever be. But she opts to ignore it, trying to make this more about him than about herself. "Thank you. For helping me through this."
no subject
"Hey, you don't have to thank me. You're one of the people I care about, I missed the most, and... I'm going to keep helping you no matter what." He's not about to bend on that.
As a rooftop draws nearer, Peter carefully descends. His landing is smoother than it usually is with web swinging. He doesn't need the same momentum levels to carry him around.
no subject
As Peter keeps talking, though, that smile of hers falters. That nagging feeling that something's wrong just won't go away. Why would he have to say he'd keep helping her no matter what? Why does that sound like-...?
She can't quite put her finger on what it sounds like, but it makes her chest tighten, and MJ feels the edges of panic creeping in just as she'd made the mistake of beginning to feel even remotely comfortable. When he finally touches down on solid ground, she doesn't even bother observing her surroundings before slipping her arms from around him and taking a step back, her gait only a little shaky from the flying.
Searching his eyes and trying not to fall into the trap of assuming the absolute worst, she asks Peter, "What aren't you telling me?"
no subject
She deserves better than this. Peter snuffs out any brief frustration with himself to stay focused in the moment, awkwardly crossing his arms over his chest.
Peter cycles through what he wants to say. Guilt obvious on his face, an underlying discomfort at needing to address things like this. He can't just string her along pretending things are the same, Peter refuses to even indulge that thought. The situation sucks enough already, he's not going to hurt her worse. The emotions boiling over means his halo manifests behind his head. A glowing circle that ripples with a web pattern.
"I had thought, I was never going to see you again. That there was not a way to go back. I made peace with that." He starts carefully, unaware of the halo, trying to just get his thoughts in order. He isn't going to drop all the reasoning as to why on her. MJ doesn't need that right now.
"So, I started dating someone else." Saying it is almost a relief, one that is short-lived as he fidgets with the sleeve of his shirt. "I'm sorry."
no subject
When that ring of light appears behind his head, MJ is barely startled by the unusual sight, so focused is she on what he's trying to say. She can ask about the light and whether it's connected to the wing thing later. Maybe. Assuming they're still talking later.
And then he finally says it, and she feels a heavy stone dropping into the pit of her stomach threatening to send her crashing to the ground. She's unnerved to find that she's not even wholly surprised; the pieces had all been there, showing the overall picture even if the puzzle hadn't been completed until just this moment. He hadn't seen her for years. He'd grown in both height and his emotional maturity. He's still hyper-focused on doing the right thing. How could she have thought that she'd be the only person to have noticed him, and how can she hold it against him for having noticed someone else in all this time?
For a moment, she thinks the light of the halo is messing with her vision, but then she realizes that there are actually tears wavering in her eyes. No. No, she's not doing this again. She'd just cried for him back home, because he'd made the choice to have her forget all about him to keep reality from falling apart. And now....
Now he's forgotten about me.
The thought rises unbidden, and she knows it's unfair, so she tries to forcibly tamp down on it before something explodes. Turning away from him, she sorts through all the external and internal stimuli and struggles to find something to say, desperately hoping he doesn't try to touch her while she figures this out.
"How-... how long have you-...?"
cw: sort of self harm?
Seeing MJ actually tear just makes his heart sink. It only make everything feel all the worse, raw and uncomfortable. Breaking up with someone you still love in a way is awful.
It was easier to say this in theory, to pretend he could make this a clean break. He had practiced occasionally in his mind what he would say in this situation, only to have all those plans crumble as soon as the real thing happened.
This would never be a clean break. There would always be hurt on both sides. Peter has to close his eyes, biting the inside of his cheek harshly enough to draw blood. The coppery taste sticks to his teeth and tongue. It is grounding in it own way, even if it doesn't stop him from tearing up a little.
"A year." He offers back quietly, trying to steady his voice to some degree. "I think, I lost track of time."
no subject
... ex. In front of your ex. Because that's what's happening here, isn't it?
"A year," she croaks out, startled by how thick her voice is. Lightheaded, she already feels herself disassociating a little as she lets out a short breath that might have been intended to be a dry laugh. "That's like... twice as long as we'd been together."
So in the grand scheme of things, their relationship had amounted to almost nothing at all. So she shouldn't be feeling this torn up about it. Except that he's had a year (at least) to prepare for this moment and she's supposed to just accept it in the span of a few seconds.
She wants to ask him how he'd expected her to react. She wants to ask how long it had taken for him to decide that there was no way home. Had he even looked? Had he cared about going back home when he'd planned on having her and Ned forget all about his existence and he'd been building a new life for himself here?
But there's no version of any of those questions that wouldn't result in screaming and crying, and she's not the sort of girl to have an emotional meltdown over a boy. Not even if there's a part of her that will always be convinced that Peter would be worth every single tear she consciously refuses to shed.
"I'd ask if you're happy," she finally says, still looking off into some point in the distance, "but we probably wouldn't be having this conversation if you weren't."
no subject
"I care about both of you, and I've- I've been trying to figure out how to even say this. I'm sorry." He can admit that much, vulnerability that still comes easily enough with MJ. He knows, the comfortable familiarity between them is gone. Burnt to ashes with a single sentence on his part.
Things would never be the same between them again, and Peter knew it was going to happen. He still blinks back tears.
He nods initially, before realizing verbalizing would help. "Yeah, I, Leo and I are happy."
no subject
Maybe Peter - the Peter from back home, that's still her boyfriend - maybe he'd been right. Maybe not remembering him would be for the best.
That thought is absolutely not helping, so she tries to grab onto something, anything that will distract her. "Leo?" It's not the fact that she's just been dumped for a guy that surprises her. It's the fact that she'd spoken to someone named Leo back there in the woods, someone who'd seemed weirdly anxious about something for reasons that she couldn't quite figure out. Had Peter shown him a picture of her? Had he known?
She doesn't quite look at Peter so much as turns her head in his general direction, still unable to bring herself to look at him when she still feels that stinging at the corners of her eyes. "That's, um... that's good. Great. Not for me, obviously, but-... like I'd said, I'm glad you didn't have to deal with all of this alone."
Like I will.
no subject
"I'm really not making this any better." He is extremely aware of that, "I'm glad I'm not alone, but, MJ, I'm not going to just abandon you." He makes that clear, even if he fumbles on the delivery.
Is there any surprise Peter Parker would stay to help her? To insist upon being a friend even if he isn't wanted. He knows MJ can handle herself just fine, likely out smart Thirteen if given an opening, but he can't just let her be alone. The idea of her being at loss in a place like this when he's here feels impossible.
"I understand if you would prefer I gave you space for a while, but I don't want you to be alone either. I have friends besides Leo, and- it helped."
no subject
"I'd done pretty well without friends for most of my life," she tells him hollowly. The emotional investments she'd made in recent years are what had made this turn of events so particularly painful, so maybe she'd be better off just severing that part of herself and going back to being the quietly observant background set piece while she's here; maybe she'll overhear something that can get her back home, where things are set to be normal for another 10 seconds or so before she's single once again for an entirely different reason.
At least here, Peter has someone. Even if it's not her. So she'll figure her own things out on her own until she's gone and he no longer has to worry about her, and he and Leo can keep enjoying the life they'd built together.
"I think I need to go. Somewhere. I just... need to not... be here." That's a massive understatement, considering she hasn't met his eyes since he'd told her he was seeing someone. "Thanks for getting me out of the woods, but... don't worry about me, okay?"
no subject
He seems on the verge of arguing that at least somewhat, "I'll still always worry about you. I understand you... don't want to see me for a while, but, I don't want you to be alone out here."
no subject
"Well, I want to be alone," she blurts out, a sense of finality in her voice. "It's easier. It always has been." It occurs to her that this is the first lie she's ever told Peter, other than her claiming that she'd only been interested in him because she'd suspected he was Spider-Man. But just like last time, she needs to hide the truth of what she's feeling, and if that means she needs to lie to him, she'll do what she has to in order to get away before any more tears manage to escape.
"I've got to go." Where it is she's got to go, she has no idea. Is there a place she can stay nearby, or is she expected to sleep in the woods with all the other new arrivals? She's not sure, but she just needs to keep moving, because if she thinks too hard about everything that's just happened to her, she might never be able to move again.
"Bye, Peter."
gives MJ a chance to flee if she so wishes, lol
He can only guess this is worse for MJ.
"MJ-" He starts, an apology catching in the back of his throat as he steps forward. The first time he's actively gotten into her bubble since they've landed.
oh she so wishes
And no, it's not even a little bit easy.
She almost jolts back when he steps forward, holding a hand up defensively. "I've got to go," she repeats as she begins to step backward, voice low and insistent and colored by the sobs she's wrangling back with all of her strength. "I'll see you la-"
Except no, she won't see him later. Maybe not ever again. And it's the second time in less than an hour that she's had to come to grips with that, so before that sob can escape she just goes ahead and turns around, not bothering to get her bearings straight as she takes off, not quite running so much as taking long strides to walk away quickly before he can try to stop her.
life is never easy for MJ
He opens his mouth to try and argue, but he ends up just rooted to the spot as she makes her way out of sight. The sound of her sneakers hitting the metal grating of a fire escape just leaves Peter at a standstill.
He could so easily fly after her, try to insist.
But he doesn't. It isn't the right thing to do, even then Peter feels like he can't even really move.
She doesn't want to see him, given the aborted sentence on her part, and he can't blame her. He really can't blame her at all for the reaction. He is pretty hateable right now.
He ends up just slowly sitting down on the rooftop, just cradling his face in his hands trying to pull himself together. Unaware he will fall right back apart as soon as he's safe at home.