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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
And there's - something about hearing that Hawke's had a comfortable life here, that he hasn't been on the run. Even though he's joking, and even though Varric knows they both have a tendency to use humor and jokes to deflect from things that might be wrong, it's good to see that Hawke isn't too much worse for the wear.
There's no point in pretending like he doesn't worry.
He doesn't have to acknowledge it, though, and instead he squints up at the cube.
"What do I need to remember packing a stepping stool for when I've got you?" he jokes, then shakes his head. "All right, give me a boost up and let's do this."
no subject
"Clearly for when we have to put the stepping stool on my shoulders for that extra few inches of height." Hawke always tries to have a quip that matches Varric's. Perhaps it's why they've gotten along so well all this time.
Hawke makes sure his staff is secure before he picks up Varric and hoists him easily up to his shoulders.
"I got a mabari while I've been here," he says. "You'll have to come by the farm and meet him. Great dog. And there so much else I want to show you."
To adventure with Varric again after so long... it's almost a dream come true. Hawke hopes he didn't wish Varric into coming here. He'll worry about that guilt later. Adventures first! Guilt after.
no subject
"What a shame I left one off my survival list."
Fortunately, with Hawke boosting him up, he's finally able to reach the cube - though admittedly, part of him had braced himself for something to explode or shoot out at him the moment he touched it. He's a little relieved that he's just able to grab it and get back down.
"Why am I not surprised that you found yourself a dog even here. You think I can teach him wicked grace?" He's joking, but also - no, he's kind of not. He did teach Hawke's old mabari diamondback, after all, this sounds like a great challenge.
Varric holds out the cube to him. "I want to know all about it. It seems I've got a lot of catching up to do if I'm ever going to write the next part of your biography."
no subject
"I think you could teach Montoya anything," he says with typical Ferelden pride. Mabaris are the best dogs even in this land of spirits and animal-people. None are better. "There are regular card game nights here. Fenris attends often. You'd have a great time talking and winning every hand. And learning new card games from other worlds!"
Oh, he's definitely a little too excited to have Varric here with him. He should not be so happy his friend is trapped like the rest of them. Varric suffered enough trouble from being his friend and all that happened in Kirkwall.
"I don't know if Tale of the Former Champion is as catchy." He reaches for the cube and when his fingers touch it the whole thing vanishes leaving them with a basic bedroll. Full size too. Hawke raises an eyebrow. He wasn't sure what to expect from the cube but well, it didn't look big enough to hold a whole bedroll.
"Huh." He tilts his head slightly. "I hope this isn't another one of those instances where homes get shuffled around or we have to sleep outside because it's raining inside."
no subject
Being stuck here for the time being is sounding better and better. He's not going to take it sitting down, of course - no, he's already thinking about how best to find out everything he can about this place and its inhabitants - but if it means he can do it while kicking up his heels a little, spend time with Hawke and Fenris and whoever else?
Yeah, he thinks he can manage that.
But he's distracted almost immediately by the appearance of the bedroll, and Hawke's commentary.
"I'm sorry, did you say raining inside? Of course I end up somewhere where not even indoors is safe." He shakes his head, then shoots Hawke a grin. "See, with fuel like that, you think I can't make the sequel sound just as inticing?"
no subject
And he is truly, deeply happy to see Varric again. Even in this place which will test them and test them again and again. They made it through the Deep Roads and Kirkwall together. It's familiar, really, to face danger with this dwarf by his side.
"It's only happened once so far. Generally insides are fine." Hawke pats his shoulder.
"We can probably head for the school now or keep looking for more of these cubes." Hawke scratches at his beard. "I think. Maybe. I don't feel any strange urges. Well, not stranger than usual."
no subject
He looks down at the list in his Relic - and he's still not used to this blasted thing, but it sounds like he's going to have the time to figure it out. Going hunting for the other items on his list seem a lot less important now that he knows Hawke is here. Specifically, now that he knows Hawke had been here for a while, and can catch him up a lot faster than trying to get information as he goes.
Except then Hawke mentions strange urges, and yeah, okay, that's getting his immediate attention.
"Strange urges how?"
no subject
"Thirteen, the fox spirit, likes to mess with our heads," he explains casually as he pleases. "Sort of like a spirit in the Fade tries to convince you to do things you wouldn't normally do. Almost like a test to see if you can resist."
Hawke has come to understand this place as very much like the Fade and it gives him hope that one day he can learn to manipulate it.
"But those events seem rare. It's more tests like this. Work together to solve a problem." He waves a hand like the whole occasional mind control is no big deal. To him, it isn't. "If you can handle the bullshit we went through in Kirkwall, you'll be able to handle this place no trouble. There's way less politics."
no subject
No he wasn't. Well, all right, maybe part of him was the tiniest bit hopeful that it would be done soon, but in a place like this, with his luck? He's not in the least bit surprised to hear that.
It tells him something, how casual Hawke is about all this. Either he's way too used to it, or it really isn't much worse than the shit that went down in Kirkwall - not that that's saying much - or he doesn't want to give details about how bad it can get just yet.
"Seriously, no politics? Okay, that I have to see to believe. Let's get out of here."
no subject
It's a little of both. Hawke's been dealing with this for two years and he's very good at handling bullshit after Kirkwall. He's comfortable now. It has made him forget in a sense just how dangerous this place can truly be.
That and Thedas is so damn dangerous all the damn time this place really feels like nothing in comparison.
"You're going to get so many stories!" Hawke leads the way towards the school, keeping his long strides short so Varric has no trouble keeping up with him.
no subject
It doesn't really matter - there's clearly no easy way out of this, and it doesn't sound any worse than the other shitshows that Varric’s had to deal with. Besides, if he's honest with himself - if Hawke's been stuck here, too, Varric’s kind of glad the fox finally brought him here.
That makes him laugh, a comfortable familiarity settling over him as he once again follows along with Hawke.
"Guess I better get a couple of new notebooks."
no subject
But the two of them have survived worse. After the fall of Kirkwall there's really nothing worse they could go through together. Their lives fell apart. What could be worse, really?
"You will meet so many people worth writing stories about! You could start maybe five whole new book series based on the people I've meet here," he says with a laugh.
no subject
Yeah, that sounds about right for the kind of shit they always seem to get themselves into.
Varric’s certain he learn more than he wants to through experience, the longer he's here. But his attention is more drawn to the apparently interesting people Hawke's met - knowing him, Varric’s likely either looking at a handful of new friends to keep his eye out for, or a couple of new enemies to keep his eye on.
Maybe both.
"Yeah? Tell me something about 'em."
no subject
Hawke doesn't want to share more of Mel's story than that but his affection for her is plain and he trusts Varric will find her lovely as well.
"And Steven." Now his voice turns softer. "I'll introduce you to Steven. I shared your books with him and that's how we grew closer. He loves stories. He is my lover and he will be so excited to meet you."
no subject
Varric might not know this Mel yet, but anyone who can inspire such affection from Hawke is someone worth knowing.
Even if she is a politician. Varric'll just assume she's one of the all right ones, like Ruffles.
It's the second one that surprises him a little - both because of the lover part and because he actually thinks he recognizes the name.
"Steven from London? I might've met him already." He's quiet for a moment. This might be a question that's better left for over drinks, but - Hawke is his best friend, it's his duty to ask. "He make you happy?"
no subject
He gives Varric a friendly shove on the shoulder.
"Yes!" Hawke grins, glad they've met each other already. They'll meet again. Steven lives part time with Hawke. "He's nothing like Anders and that makes me quite happy. It's the honesty. Steven's very honest."
Except for that one little thing but Hawke can't tell Varric about that without first talking to Steven.
no subject
It's part bravado, part not. Varric has done fine without Hawke, more or less, and it's not like he's miserable without him or anything, but, well. He misses him when he hasn't seen him in a while, is all.
Getting more sentimental and softer the older he gets, it seems.
His knee-jerk response to that is a deep, almost vicious good. His feelings about Blondie are complicated, mixed with a heavy dose of guilt both for introducing him to Hawke in the first place and for not being able to see just how bad his friend was getting, but the one thing he knows is just how much pain he caused.
He's glad Steven is nothing like Anders.
"I'll try to keep my interrogation to a minimum, then."
no subject
Hawke sees this as a chance to get some of that ending. They won't stay together because of the nature of this place but Hawke has taken to thinking of it as a chance. Just a time, brief or long, to live well with new friends and old. And the occasional life threatening situation that really doesn't bother him much.
"He talks almost as much as you," Haw says with a grin. "You'll have a hard time getting a word in edgewise. It'll be great."
Maybe one day they can talk about Anders because there is a chance he could appear at any moment. Hawke doesn't like to think about that.
"So, what did you get? Wings? Horns? Anything fun?"