August-September 2024 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

August-September 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 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.

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 One ★ Prompt Two]

Scavengers Survive . ★

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.

• 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.

This is Our Get Along Shirt . ★

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.

• 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.

Comments

Vi | Arcane | Legend

[faceblocks]

SCAVENGERS SURVIVE

[She had been in the sea again. Maybe? Those are her last memories before this. It had been Trench until it ...hadn't. And somehow that was maybe fine? No squid legs this time, no unsteady walking out of that sea so much as just suddenly *being*...

...wherever the hell she was, and following a fox that seems to know where it's going. So when it turns and sits and spins her a tale that doesn't sound bullshittier than other tales she's been told, she listens.]

A list? Sure, yeah. I can---

[huh. no fox.]

---do that. [a little softer, she repeats again, to no one.] ...I've got this.

[She'd been used to this, sort of (?) with Fang. The banter, that is. The disappearing. Only this isn't as bantery as all that, and though a list seems sensible, the fox doesn't feel a part of her. But the Relic? It's enough like the Omni that it's no real trouble to figure out, and she skips the tutorial even if she maybe shouldn't.

So. What does she need? Not much, she doesn't think. Not when it really comes down to it. What had been in the bag she's been given as a Sleeper? That gives her cause to make sure for the third time she's wearing shoes.

One less thing for the list, then.

Sitting with her back against a great rock, typing into the Relic, a fairly quick business of:]

canteen full of water
hot and cold rocks (packs???) for the first aid kit
first aid kit
bandages
salve
vials
dried fish
dried mushrooms
a bag of cheetos
a knife just in case
potato chips
a backpack to put it all in
toilet paper for sure
a blanket or a cloak that can be a blanket
a blank book would be cool but i dont need it

my sister

[Violet backspaces that last part, huffs again, pushing the thought away as she stands up. She's not as successful at the first task as she is the latter - but she's back on her feet as she always is, in the middle of what seems to be dense forest, somewhere at the foot of a great tree that fuck, that's high. She does not yet begin to realize she's actually inside a school. She doesn't yet realize that sharing is involved, either, because she reaches for the cube that hovers near the tree's lowest branch, only to find that it dodges her.]

Hey.

[She's quick to slap at any hand (or other appendage) that might reach for it - it looks as if there might be food in there. A brightly labeled bag of cheese snacks hovers just out of reach, and it only now occurs to her how hungry she is.]

Back off, asshole, that's mine.

[Not said with any real venom, just hanger.]

WILDCARD
[hit me with whatever. literally, even. eisdamme]

[dohaeris]

[sansa witnesses the cheesy snack exchange and her heart skips a beat. she can't expect this vi to be the one that knows her; ezra had met enough obi-wans to make her wary of that. but she finds herself walking towards her regardless, a very large and full sack of items floating magically at her side and meraxes the raven on her shoulder.

she wears a grey linen dress with dragonflies and weirwood leaves, the chatelaine at her wide leather belt holding largely sewing supplies along with her branching weirwood spoon, needle necklace, and shield charm.

lady of course wears a matching collar. she daintily trots forward with a friendly yip, circling vi and pushing her nose into her hand. sansa approaches with her heart in her throat.]

Vi?

[faceblocks]

[The nosenudge is just about the only thing she isn't inclined to swat away, and it quells her annoyance even before she sees the nose it belongs to - registering as first as dog and then as wolf, and aww, shit maybe she's hungry, too and she's probably a she because---

---the collar stops her words, but she recognizes this wolf even without the fancy collar.

So when the girl (who is also a wolf of sorts, because she remembers some things about her lessons when they involve vows) speaks her name, she almost doesn't have to turn. But she does, and all she can make is a surprised sort of laugh, all disbelief and relief tangled up together as she blinks.]

Sansa??

[Wait, wait. Shit, sorry. She lowers her voice, forgetting the bag of cheetos hovering just a little to her left, now.]

Are you Alayne here? You ...remember me?

[Glancing back toward anyone that might be near - she doesn't want to give away her friend's (???) identity if it's secret ...wherever they are. Also: she remembers Bakugou had known another her once, too. And then there had been the ...Jinxes.]

[dohaeris]

[lady huffs, delighted. sansa's eyes deepen in blue, her mouth twisting to one side helplessly. she steps forward.

she had been alayne again here, briefly. she's so glad she isn't anymore.]

It's me, from Trench. I've missed you.

[so much!!! it had been like losing her family all over again. she pauses briefly.]

Have you met another Sansa?

[does she even want to know......]

[faceblocks]

[vi huffs back without even realizing she's doing so, extending the nose pet into a full between the ears scratch with a gentle fur ruffle because it just *happens*. and then the admission spoken plain it's me from trench - it's enough to push half the sadness out of her and most of the hanger.]

H-holy shit.

[the briefest pause before she (sorry not sorry?) nearly launches herself at sansa, seeking to grasp her into a tight hug. she has so many questions, but they're all eclipsed by the stupid, happy tears she's blinking back without total success. she'll wipe them away later, it's fine.]

No. [more emphatically:] No. the last thing I remember is Trench. How the hell did I---

---did you do this?

[the idea of sansa summoning her? not the weirdest thing, considering. she's good at rolling with the punches, but this one was entirely unexpected. but in the good way, which is ...also unexpected.]

[dohaeris]

[sansa laughs mistily and hugs back.]

It was the Fox. You must have seen her. I thought she was Dorothea, at first. She's like a Pthumerian––[sansa has her own theories about this] she's the one who brings everybody to Folkmore.

[she pulls back a bit.]

It's wonderful here. You can summon anything with Lore. Not people––only the lady Fox can do that. There are schools, one in every land. They're beautiful––well, except for Cruel Summer. You might like it, because it's combat training, but it's very hot, and there isn't anything nice to do unless you happen upon Euphoria.

[there are saloons and gambling halls, but sansa thinks better ones can be found in tides... she's fond of the selkies in the river selkie, though.]

There aren't any lantern imps, so you have to take the train or call the Cat Bus if you want to travel any distance, and walk or ride for shorter ones. And it's harder to learn magic––I think the magic polluting everything in Trench made it very easy. But there's no true corruption, and people are still kind. I was afraid that if we weren't able to pull it out of everyone, it would just build up unseen, as it did in my world. But nobody has any reason to be cruel here, so they aren't.

[this is punctuated with a smaller, more rueful smile.]

I'm not the only person from Trench here––there's Ezra and Tory and Sharon, and her friend Meyerling, then Maul turned up, and now Lord Imyarek from the net work.

[and now vi! she giggles a little.]

You must remember the lady Fox. She always tells people a little about this place when she fetches them.

Wildcard baby because I do *pops collar* what I want

[bossyboiler]

[ Javacakes Bakery and Internet Cafe is located in Epiphany, one of the more modern areas of Folkmore. The aroma of sweetly baked goods catches people before the large signs in the windows do. It's hard to miss those with the large pictures of what's for sale inside.

It is the middle of the day and Kate is busy. Her staff is busy. She is ringing up orders behind the counter but can spare a few seconds. ]

Hi!

[ She warmly greets Vi before ringing up the next order. The great thing about Lore is that it is so easily obtained. Kate already received one spoon simply by saying hi. She got another set of spoons for talking to her next customer. By now, surely Vi has accumulated a few spoons? Because don't the cupcakes look tempting? ]

HELLOOOOOOO smol scream

[faceblocks]

[if she's searching for anything it's probably somehow going to lead to a fight, food or both. whether it's the food on her list or some other food in the path of her search, it's unsurprising that she finds it - or that her nose does. she nearly collides with another patron on their way out because she'd been following her nose and not her eyes. she may or may not miss a cube entirely because now she's here. and there's so much to see.]

Back at ya. [a beat.] Hey.

[can she have spoons without knowing she has them? absolutely. her eyes roam the selections, and she's caught in a bit of choice paralysis that threatens to spill into too many feelings about too many things. of course there would be cupcakes. she huffs a sigh and points to whatever's closest.]

Two of those? Three? I can get three, yeah?

big scream right back!

[bossyboiler]

Are you a new arrival?

[ She asks because she hasn't seen Vi's face before and likes to believe that she knows who all her customers are. (She doesn't. She doesn't work up front all the time.) ]

Of course you can. Do you want them for here or to go?

[ Look if someone wants to gorge themselves on three cupcakes in one sitting, she's not going to judge them. In fact, she's going to praise them because that's the kind of eating that keeps her in business. ]

[faceblocks]

Can you tell? [i mean, that's a yes. but she still wants to know if 'hi i'm new' radiates from he like it sometimes had when the new sleepers arrived in trench. she doesn't mind being new.]

Here's fine. But I should probably get at least seven more to go. [not for her, though, for the trench crew! even the guy she doesn't think she knows.] Make it an even eight. [what if she leaves someone out? that would suck for them. eight should be fine?] You know what? Make it a dozen.

[then she can slide right back into her old habit of feeding people.]

[bossyboiler]

Yes, a little. I've never seen you in here before or on the network. [ She may not respond to every post on the network but she definitely drops some eaves. ]

Seven? Okay. [ This calls for a box. Again, no judgement on her face. Maybe they are going through something and need the sugar. ] Twelve? Okay. [ She gets out a yellow box and starts to load the cupcakes, one by one. ] Taking some to a friend?

Scavengers Survive!

[goongal]

[The other person trying to claim the cube is an energetic ninja woman with a shaved head. Casey responds to her with a glower and moving into a defensive stance.]

How could you lay claim to that cheese-coated snack product? I believe that I saw it first! Its cheesy goodness called out to me. It beckoned!!

[faceblocks]

Did not. it's just a bag in a cube.

[how can it beckon? it's a cube? then again, but if vi's stomach's to be believed, it was definitely beckoning.]

And it's on my list. Fox said to write it down, so I typed that shit into my little ...thingie. [ holds up her Relic for a brief second, scowling.]

I bet you don't even know what it's called!

[a swat at it, which it dodges because it can.]

[goongal]

It can still beckon! With its alluring aura!

[She does sweat drop as she's presented with the Relic. But she still stands her ground.]

W-well I did also put snacks on my own list! And I know exactly what it's called! These are... umm...

[She blanks as she tries to remember the name of any cheesy snack.]

... Cheese... Cheesey... Cheesritos! Cheese-Coated Cholesterol Fun Snack! With Extra Cheesy Dust!

[faceblocks]

[arms crossed in disbelief, vi huffs out a rebuttal 'nope' for every name offered, though she's gotta give props to this girl for trying. those are a lot of guesses. she fights a smile at the last one. another huff as she asks:]

So show me your list.

[it's not 'back off asshole' anymore. it's a fair question. meanwhile, the cube just wants to taunt the both of them, it seems. it zooms up to a much higher branch and twirls there.]

[goongal]

Very well!

[With a grunt, she whips out her Relic and shows it to her as she loads up her list. It is very long and detailed, containing all the basic necessities plus camping supplies and training equipment. One of them is even just "a sparring partner!"]

Hold on, keep going, keep going...

[She keeps scrolling until she reaches the last one. Ot reads 'a little bit of junk food, as a treat'.]

There!!

[survivalthroughhate]

[A rather intense and toothy-looking face that might have been somewhat familiar came peering out of the forest brush, seeming to appear right out of the dappled shadows at the base of the forest floor. It was Venge, Maul's Omen, who thought she had caught a familiar scent on the breeze. Her little eyes widened at seeing who it was.]

Maul! Come here quick! [She called out. Maul swiftly ran to where he could hear Venge calling out. As he did so, the Omen came over to Vi.] I thought I smelled someone I knew.

[Maul dashed into the clearing before skidding to a halt. That was a familiar face alright. Vi was not one he'd easily forget, not after the two of them had shared their guilt over failing their respective siblings. But this place often brought doubles of people from Trench who had come from their own worlds instead of the hellacious blood polluted city. So he approached cautiously, his eyes and expression guarded with wariness.]

Do you know who I am?

[faceblocks]

[vi, despite her surprise at seeing venge (and it sure does take a moment to process, but it's been a bare blip of time for her) takes pause to sniff her the armpit of her fresh-out-of-trench hunting leathers for effect.]

That bad, huh? [an easy shrug, and when maul himself skids to his dramatic halt. she takes a moment to appreciate that not many can manage to make a skid like that look menacing? maul, though? yep, he's still got it.]

Hell yeah, I do.

[she doesn't ask if his brother's here. she's sure sansa would have told her, and if she hadn't that meant one of two things. he'd never come, or he'd come and gone. both are wounds she won't poke at.]

Bring it in.

[two arms, wide open, because what are the chances?]

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul grinned happily when he realized this was the Vi from Trench he had known before. Getting a genuine smile out of Maul was rare but it happened. Having another Sleeper was definitely cause for it.

He went over to her and wrapped her up in a bone-crushing hug without further delay. He wondered if Jinx had come along with her but decided it was best not to ask. Her little sister would definitely make herself known if she was here, likely with some kind of loud explosion.]

It is good to see someone else from Trench. Every so often, another one arrives.

[And it made Maul happy all over again, even if the most important two he was looking for still hadn't ended up here.]

[faceblocks]

[bone crushing hugs are good, sometimes they're the best kind. sometimes they crush the sadness out a little, or at least push it back down.]

We're like a little infestation. Maybe we'll take over. [not serious at all, but this is:]

Here's to hoping 'every so often' picks up the pace a little.

[and to dodge the obvious serious subjects:]

Soooo. You been keeping out of trouble, or starting the fun kind?

[wait. omens are here, too? she steps back from the hug, screwing her face up to try and ...yeah, nope. no fang. for now. her blood feels the same and also not.]

[survivalthroughhate]

It’s a bit like when the people from my own galaxy used to arrive in Deerington and Trench. One draws the others there like a magnet until it’s so strong more and more arrive.

[Maul couldn’t say he wasn’t unhappy with the thought of more Sleepers showing up in Folkmore. They all deserved a long vacation and rest after the terrors they’d experienced month after month.

He grinned a little at her question, the expression sly and devious for a reason.]

Oh, a little of both. Luke and Ezra are both here to keep me from going too far.

[But that still hadn’t stopped Maul from getting into plenty of fights thus far.]

[fogsong]

[ Sharon's list is full of absolute bullshit. It started out serious. Water canteen (filled with clean water), an expensive multitool, waterproof tent, pizza MREs, and then it fell apart from there. A box of poptarts, strawberry, 12-pk. Case of Redbull. A full jar of dried floater mushrooms. A pack of pop-its. Family-Size Cheetos. Family-Size Hot Cheetos. A plush toy.

And it's about there she loses interest. It's not like she's going to struggle much with caring for herself in a survival situation. Hell, after Trench, she's practically always prepared for it.

Sharon doesn't realize she's racing to grab the cube until her hand is slapped away. She yanks her hand back, ready to bite some insult, a handful of pop-its in hand, when she freezes, heart climbing all the way up her throat to rest at the base of her tongue. ] Shit. [ It'll be awkward if this isn't the Vi she knew but... Fuck it. ] Vi?

[faceblocks]

[Vi starts at the voice - turning to actually look at the hand she's just slapped away, and mouth falling open as she sees the other girl. sees the look of recognition and the whole shift in vibe that she's now mirroring herself. her grin is a little sheepish.]

I mean, who else is gonna try and start shit over a bag of snacks?

[jinx would. a million percent. oh, she tries not to go there, to keep it light, but it's hard to do around people who have already breached walls she can't figure out how to put up again. the lack of corruption doesn't help.]

[fogsong]

[ There's a handful of witty things she can say in response to that but she can feel the lump in her throat growing, tongue weighted like lead. She wants to keep it cool but... Shit. The silence hangs there until Sharon can't take it and finally moves to pull Vi into a tight hug. ]

It's been over a fucking year. [ The words are thick with emotion, emotion only held at bay through sheer force of fucking will. ]

[faceblocks]

[she's trying, here. the grin's there but it falters, and there's so much underneath it it becomes a 'throw it in the fuck it bucket' situation.]

Shit. Shit.

[she doesn't resist the hug - far from it. she leans into it and hugs back with all the strength she remembers sharon can take - it's been no more than a week for her, or at least that's how it feels, though some details are hazy.]

I'm sorry if a bailed at a bad time. [if i fucked it all up. if i left her. again.] It's good to see you, too, Sharon.