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October-November 2024 Test Drive Meme
October-November 2024 Test Drive
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 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.
🦊 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. 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.
Content Warnings: Natural Disaster/Natural Disaster Relief
It seems as if the Star Children will be restricted to Amrita Academy forever, when nothing changes at the one month mark. Yet, after another week has stretched endlessly past, a morning dawns to show that the moat of Lorasses has vanished. The way is clear to discover what the chaotic storms have left behind.
Most of Folkmore's resident spirits return. Good thing Catbus is among them because the train is not operating. Debris litters the tracks throughout the land. Someone's going to have to work to clean all of that up before normal schedules can resume... within the first week or so, everyone fervently hopes.
That is far from the only wreckage from those storms. As Star Children have seen, even Amrita Academy hasn't really been spared; between the Lorasses moat and the various structures built to weather the storms, the past weeks have left a mark on the school.
The rest of Willow shows signs of extreme growth and age, as if decades, not weeks, have passed. Epiphany and Tides suffer major flood damage, and Exile is entirely soggy and saturated with a sense of sorrow. Avalanche debris covers Wintermute, and the mountains aren't in the same place. Cruel Summer is even dryer, cracked, and in part of it littered with exploded, partially melted robot parts. Never Fade may be the best off; the ground has leveled off, and only the unsecured outdoor items have crashed around or dropped off the island. In general, all regions show signs of warping.
Talaria has been outright knocked down (once again) and will need to be rebuilt (once again). The contents of Talarian homes have been thriftily saved by Thirteen (yet again). They'll be back as soon as the homes are ready to be redecorated! There's also a new elevator connecting Tides to a platform in the ocean at surface level, making it a little bit easier to get in or out of the neighborhood. Fly, swim, or use a boat from Nereid marina to reach it.
Many of the buildings throughout Folkmore, businesses and residences alike, have been damaged, some past the point of habitability. For better or worse, some residences will wait unclaimed, as their resident spirits have not returned from wherever they went while gone from Folkmore. Newly arriving Star Children (or those interested in relocating) just might find those residences awfully appealing. As with all unoccupied homes in Folkmore, they're free real estate.
Each neighborhood has a new (and structurally-sound) building near its center: a hospitality station of sorts, stocked with basic foods (to suit a variety of dietary needs, relevant to the known local residents), clean water, personal protective equipment, basic tool kits, fresh clothing, and clean linens. For those ill equipped to cook for themselves for whatever reason, there's also a canteen/soup kitchen area. The canteen tends to collect idle spirits and Star Children who might be willing to assist with any cleanup tasks too big or too complex for one person to tackle on their own.
Working with the neighbors has an additional benefit, of course: sooner or later, whether while helping clear the train tracks or fixing up someone's home or business (including a Star Child's own), shifting the debris will reveal a weathered container of some sort, locked up tight, that will only fall open at a touch if and when the right Star Child finds it. There is only one chest per Star Child. Inside, is an item from home, either that of the resident whose house/business it's found in or the one keyed to the lock. It may even be a magical item or weapon.
There's some good news as well, in the midst of all the chaos: most Star Children will find that their homes are wholly unharmed; their pets, companions, Pokémon, etc. are all hale and hearty, having spent the entire time cozily asleep in their boxfoxes — which can be reused if kept, and just as easily abandoned now that they've released their occupants.
It seems as if the Star Children will be restricted to Amrita Academy forever, when nothing changes at the one month mark. Yet, after another week has stretched endlessly past, a morning dawns to show that the moat of Lorasses has vanished. The way is clear to discover what the chaotic storms have left behind.
Most of Folkmore's resident spirits return. Good thing Catbus is among them because the train is not operating. Debris litters the tracks throughout the land. Someone's going to have to work to clean all of that up before normal schedules can resume... within the first week or so, everyone fervently hopes.
That is far from the only wreckage from those storms. As Star Children have seen, even Amrita Academy hasn't really been spared; between the Lorasses moat and the various structures built to weather the storms, the past weeks have left a mark on the school.
Other regions show clear signs of the warping they have endured similarly.
- Wintermute alternated between blinding light and pitch blackness, with mountains growing and crumbling away alike. Cabins were transformed into igloos.
- Willow experienced all the seasons in a matter of days multiple times, growing crops and new trees, losing old ones, and its buildings weathered as though through decades.
- In Epiphany, the streets ran with water so high it was difficult to walk, and the buildings shifted to reflect related settings.
- Cruel Summer grew hotter and more oppressive, so that survival away from the Selkie River was impossible. On the 13th, there was an explosion, and it rained robot parts.
- Exile was swallowed entirely by the Swamp of Sorrows, leaving no dry land.
- Tides filled with water, dark deep water that could not readily be seen through.
- Never Fade became even more purple, with a thick haze that erased visibilty of borders. It also became steeper, so there was no flat ground.
The rest of Willow shows signs of extreme growth and age, as if decades, not weeks, have passed. Epiphany and Tides suffer major flood damage, and Exile is entirely soggy and saturated with a sense of sorrow. Avalanche debris covers Wintermute, and the mountains aren't in the same place. Cruel Summer is even dryer, cracked, and in part of it littered with exploded, partially melted robot parts. Never Fade may be the best off; the ground has leveled off, and only the unsecured outdoor items have crashed around or dropped off the island. In general, all regions show signs of warping.
Talaria has been outright knocked down (once again) and will need to be rebuilt (once again). The contents of Talarian homes have been thriftily saved by Thirteen (yet again). They'll be back as soon as the homes are ready to be redecorated! There's also a new elevator connecting Tides to a platform in the ocean at surface level, making it a little bit easier to get in or out of the neighborhood. Fly, swim, or use a boat from Nereid marina to reach it.
Many of the buildings throughout Folkmore, businesses and residences alike, have been damaged, some past the point of habitability. For better or worse, some residences will wait unclaimed, as their resident spirits have not returned from wherever they went while gone from Folkmore. Newly arriving Star Children (or those interested in relocating) just might find those residences awfully appealing. As with all unoccupied homes in Folkmore, they're free real estate.
Each neighborhood has a new (and structurally-sound) building near its center: a hospitality station of sorts, stocked with basic foods (to suit a variety of dietary needs, relevant to the known local residents), clean water, personal protective equipment, basic tool kits, fresh clothing, and clean linens. For those ill equipped to cook for themselves for whatever reason, there's also a canteen/soup kitchen area. The canteen tends to collect idle spirits and Star Children who might be willing to assist with any cleanup tasks too big or too complex for one person to tackle on their own.
Working with the neighbors has an additional benefit, of course: sooner or later, whether while helping clear the train tracks or fixing up someone's home or business (including a Star Child's own), shifting the debris will reveal a weathered container of some sort, locked up tight, that will only fall open at a touch if and when the right Star Child finds it. There is only one chest per Star Child. Inside, is an item from home, either that of the resident whose house/business it's found in or the one keyed to the lock. It may even be a magical item or weapon.
There's some good news as well, in the midst of all the chaos: most Star Children will find that their homes are wholly unharmed; their pets, companions, Pokémon, etc. are all hale and hearty, having spent the entire time cozily asleep in their boxfoxes — which can be reused if kept, and just as easily abandoned now that they've released their occupants.
- The moat is gone! Freeeeeedom!
- The train is not operating for one week until October 27th due to debris over the tracks.
- Every region of Folkmore shows scars from the past month's extreme disturbances. Things have not reverted to before.
- Most spirits have returned; some remain absent. Claim the free real estate, if quick or bold enough.
- Hospitality stations have appeared in each neighborhood stocked with food, water, clothing, and linens.
- The canteens serve as a social hub and place to ask for/volunteer assistance.
- One time only, cleaning up or moving debris will reveal a container holding an item from home: yours or the person's you're helping.
- Most Star Children's homes will be unharmed; any damage should match the region's damage flavor. The level of destruction is up to you.
- Creatures in boxfoxes are out, fine and dandy! Boxfoxes can be kept/used again.
Offshore near Agrona Academy, there's something new. Something bewildering, maybe. Something growing. There's also something swimming up to any Star Children near the coast: a very large sea turtle, not willing to come far ashore. She's singing and chirping to get attention, in case being big enough to have a six-foot-long shell isn't quite good enough for some reason. (Or the way she has a blue-green bioluminescent glow when underwater, as becomes quite visible around dusk.)
She's happy to explain that she needs a place to lay her eggs. She doesn't have eggs to lay, just yet, but she wants to have her place all ready anyway. To that end she's busily building a brand-new island not very far from shore. It's just over there, visible once she indicates it with a flipper, barely any higher than the waves cresting around it. Here's the sad part: while she's used a great deal of cleverness in building it, from rocks and sand and bits of broken reef, she's all out of construction materials that she can reach! So she needs help: more construction material for the island.
It seems she's got a very loose definition, though, so pretty much anything that can later be covered in sand or dirt is fair game. Lucky that she wants it now. There's a perfect place todump all that debris in the ocean recycle all the debris, anything not structurally sound enough for a repair-in-place job. Bigger is probably better, too. Work together with other Star Children to haul up the big stuff. It brings more and more joy to her songs as she finds the exact place for each and every item, making her island grow bigger and bigger.
Anyone who actively participates will be rewarded five (5) spoons by the turtle directly, as a thank you for helping her to keep her eggs safe. (If anyone asks, she'll explain that it's the number of limbs she has, so she thought it was perfect!) In addition, she gives each person a smooth and shiny sea rock that fits in their palm perfectly! If the island gets big enough to be more than a sandbar, anyone who helped with the construction will find it far more welcoming than those who didn't. She isn't expecting to use anything but the beach.
She's happy to explain that she needs a place to lay her eggs. She doesn't have eggs to lay, just yet, but she wants to have her place all ready anyway. To that end she's busily building a brand-new island not very far from shore. It's just over there, visible once she indicates it with a flipper, barely any higher than the waves cresting around it. Here's the sad part: while she's used a great deal of cleverness in building it, from rocks and sand and bits of broken reef, she's all out of construction materials that she can reach! So she needs help: more construction material for the island.
It seems she's got a very loose definition, though, so pretty much anything that can later be covered in sand or dirt is fair game. Lucky that she wants it now. There's a perfect place to
Anyone who actively participates will be rewarded five (5) spoons by the turtle directly, as a thank you for helping her to keep her eggs safe. (If anyone asks, she'll explain that it's the number of limbs she has, so she thought it was perfect!) In addition, she gives each person a smooth and shiny sea rock that fits in their palm perfectly! If the island gets big enough to be more than a sandbar, anyone who helped with the construction will find it far more welcoming than those who didn't. She isn't expecting to use anything but the beach.
- A large sea turtle—with a 6 foot in diameter shell and about 3 feet tall at the shoulder—starts building an island off Cruel Summer.
- She needs help getting more building supplies. Bring your debris, bigger the better, here!
- All Star Children who help will be rewarded five (5) spoons and a shiny and smooth rock from underwater that fits in their recipients' palms just so.
- Star Children who help find the island more welcoming than those who didn't.
no subject
Deep breath. You can do this, Daphne. ]
No. It’s perfectly fine. This... will do.
[ With a weak smile, she picks up the only fork that is available and starts very slowly and deliberately cutting up her fish into small mouthfuls. It looks absurd, but this is how she was raised.
Her first bite, it turns out, is not disappointing. She actually looks impressed. ]
no subject
( It's a natural enough assumption and it makes him think about the gulf between him and this woman. There was already the time difference, then the fact that he was a mass murderer against his will, and now oyster forks? They're on other sides of the universe, he thinks. Still, Daphne is one of the more interesting people he's met if not only because she was damn tenacious about moving that debris all alone. )
no subject
She swallows, puts down her fork and knife. ]
A little, I suppose you could say. [ Or a lot. ]
My brother is a viscount, and my father before him, and his father before him... He’s the ninth viscount. [ She doesn’t count Simon’s holdings. ]
no subject
( Bucky doesn't know why he feels the need to apologize, except he does, because she's coming from a lot more life changes than he did when he arrived. )
I talked to you to begin with because you weren't afraid to get your nice clothes dirty when you were moving around that branch that was too big for you. Rich or not, that's admirable.
no subject
Suddenly, she huffs out a disbelieving laugh. ]
Being a soldier is admirable, Mr Barnes. Not mustering one’s strength to drag around a large branch.
no subject
( It does, truly, and he does want her to know that. He wouldn't have paid her any further attention had it been the other way around. )
Maybe it's not signing up to be shot at but it's still something nobody would have expected you to do and you did it anyway.
no subject
Enough about me. Tell me more of yourself, or this place we’ve found ourselves in.
no subject
( Lies. It's that he likes Daphne's company and if she knows about him, truly knows, she'll run screaming the other way and she should. It's already happened once with a woman here and he knows it will happen again with someone if he doesn't keep his secrets. He spreads his hands on the table and taps with his right fingers.)
This is here, The Willows. You go north ( he moves his fingers up a bit ) and that's Wintermute where it's cold all the time. Come a little toward the center and that's Epiphany, where I live. Tides is underwater, actually, you gotta take a ship to get there. Never Fade's in the sky - don't ask me about how to get there because I haven't been. Cruel Summer's the desert, it's over here ( he circles a place with his left hand. )
You don't want to go there if you can help it. It's where I arrived.
no subject
His left hand.
She doesn’t mean to stare, but it’s hard not to. She’s simply never seen anything like it. The metal, moving with such ease, where they should be flesh and tendons.
When she realizes, she averts her gaze to her meal and tries to cover it up with a not so smooth: ] That’s very informative. Thank you.
no subject
( Bucky deadpans it but honestly, he always hates talking about his left arm to people because he never knows how they'll react. Daphne just seems shocked which...that's acceptable. She's probably never even seen a good prosthetic in her era, much less what he has. He tugs up his sleeve to his elbow. )
I lost it in the war. I think this is about the third replacement I've gotten? Hard to remember at this point.
no subject
She insists on looking him evenly in the eyes rather than gawking at his arm. ]
I have a feeling you’ve explained it enough times already. [ By the sound of it, he has. ] You needn’t if you do not wish to. I’m only sorry the war took so much from you.
no subject
( It isn't quite the truth but the sentiment is. Daphne doesn't need to know the shit he's been through because nobody should have to know it. Midge knew it before he even opened his mouth because she met another version of him that had laid it all out but...Bucky would rather do it on his own terms if at all. )
You're lucky there's not a war right now for you. It's just as hard on the people left behind, I think, just in a different way.
no subject
There are multiple wars being waged in Europe, in truth. But I believe you. I could not fathom losing any of my brothers. [ Not permanently.
Which brings her to: ] Do you know if they’re alright? The people we left behind?
no subject
( Should he be using those terms with her? Doesn't matter. That's what it is, at least in his estimation, and Daphne seems smart enough to follow along. )
Still sounds weird to me but that's what everyone else says.
no subject
Nodding, she starts to take small bites of her fish again, chewing and mulling over everything. Daphne reckons she owes Bucky a great deal for all the knowledge imparted today, and she makes a mental note to do something in the future to begin to repay him. She also reckons he may be getting tired of playing 20 Questions, so she tries to choose her follow up questions carefully. ]
Is there a pamphlet or some such thing that aids newcomers?
no subject
( He says it with a laugh but it's true. Daphne's caught him on a good day where he doesn't have existential dread pounding at his skull along with guilt and it...well, it feels kinda nice. It's something he hadn't expected, anyway, so it makes it a nice day even if he's been playing tour guide. )
Maybe after you get settled, you can write it.
no subject
[ She spars back. Don’t threaten her with a good time! She’s bossy and aggressively helpful! ]
I would hardly dub you grumpy.
no subject
( The old part's true, the grumpy part's true - the delivery is just a bit misleading. )
I don't normally get to spend my days with nice women who need directions. This is a holiday, practically.
no subject
In any case, I am terribly indebted to you now, Mr Barnes.
no subject
( If the scale is from a white lie to HYDRA, he bets Daphne is closer to the former than the latter. She seems as if she's been honest with him today. Maybe it's because she has an honest face. )
You don't owe me anything. You're someone who showed up all alone in a time period that's not anything you're used to. If I didn't help, I would be horrible.
( He wants to say an asshole but he doesn't think he should curse in front of her. )
no subject
Quite the knight in shining armor. [ Metal arm and all. ] Nevertheless, I thank you. Bucky.
no subject
( He says it with a smile, though, because the compliment hits right and Bucky doesn't normally get compliments like that. He wonders if she would give it if she actually knew what he was and that he isn't just a soldier but the Winter Soldier and has a kill count higher than his own age. )
I can help you get settled in somewhere too. Not that I don't think you can do it yourself - I know you probably can - but I'm not going to leave you hanging when you might need someone who can haul around heavier things than tree limbs.