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December-January 2024-2025 Test Drive Meme
December-January 2024-2025 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: hysical Entrapment, Fictional Crimes, Forced Engagement
Winter has come to Folkmore in full force, and with it, the desire for most to get to their destinations as fast as possible. The cold is bitter, after all, and nips at bare skin in most of the realm's regions. The public transport system becomes a safe haven for all; a perfect way to take a break in comfortable warmth as both spirits and Star Children alike travel along stretches of land. From the Cat Bus to the trains, to the submarines that lead to Tides, to even the hot air balloons which provide a beautiful sightseeing tour before touching down on Never Fade… There are more than enough public vehicles to board.
And this is exactly where newly arrived Star Children will find themselves: aboard one of the bigger public transportation methods. With a flash of light visible to all, their landing in this new realm is made known to all other passengers.
Something funny is going on, that much becomes clear within several seconds. Perhaps a nearby cat spirit will keel over dramatically in the middle of the train's aisle, pretending to have died. Perhaps a frog spirit will let out a loud croaking wail, proclaiming their precious wedding ring has been stolen just now. Or perhaps a timid little mouse will come up to Star Children, prattling on about how worried they are for their missing spouse. They are all acting, as is evident from their lack of skill in that department. They relish the opportunity to spin their little tales, their characterization often broken by mischievous smiles or hasty snickers into the palm of their paws. Once the stage is set and the story is out into the world, the spirits will look towards the nearest Star Children with clasped hands and hopeful gazes. 'Will you solve the mystery?' they seem to ask. Sometimes they'll even voice the question aloud.
One thing is for certain: Star Children have found themselves in their very own locked room whodunnit setup!
The puzzling scenarios have a wide range of possibilities. Perhaps someone vanished, with the questions being whether they've hidden themselves somewhere in the vehicle and why. Or maybe a mysterious spirit suffers from a sudden bout of amnesia. Who are they, and how did they lose their memories in the first place? Was that person lying on the floor poisoned? If so, how? What makes these mysteries extra difficult to crack is the very magic coursing through Folkmore. That heap of ash under a seat may be evidence, burnt to a crisp with fire magic. The 'dead' body may have been moved from the original crime scene through teleportation. Or the missing ring may have been enchanted to return to its original owner, which leads to the shocking reveal that the one reporting the crime was a thief all along. All cases range in difficulty level.
There is a catch. The transport will not stop until the conundrum is brought to a satisfactory conclusion. The train will pass by stations, the Cat Bus will keep sprinting, submarines will circle Tides indefinitely… And the doors will remain locked, with even teleportation powers null and void. Star Children cannot disembark until the mystery is solved. Better work together to find those clues!
Winter has come to Folkmore in full force, and with it, the desire for most to get to their destinations as fast as possible. The cold is bitter, after all, and nips at bare skin in most of the realm's regions. The public transport system becomes a safe haven for all; a perfect way to take a break in comfortable warmth as both spirits and Star Children alike travel along stretches of land. From the Cat Bus to the trains, to the submarines that lead to Tides, to even the hot air balloons which provide a beautiful sightseeing tour before touching down on Never Fade… There are more than enough public vehicles to board.
And this is exactly where newly arrived Star Children will find themselves: aboard one of the bigger public transportation methods. With a flash of light visible to all, their landing in this new realm is made known to all other passengers.
Something funny is going on, that much becomes clear within several seconds. Perhaps a nearby cat spirit will keel over dramatically in the middle of the train's aisle, pretending to have died. Perhaps a frog spirit will let out a loud croaking wail, proclaiming their precious wedding ring has been stolen just now. Or perhaps a timid little mouse will come up to Star Children, prattling on about how worried they are for their missing spouse. They are all acting, as is evident from their lack of skill in that department. They relish the opportunity to spin their little tales, their characterization often broken by mischievous smiles or hasty snickers into the palm of their paws. Once the stage is set and the story is out into the world, the spirits will look towards the nearest Star Children with clasped hands and hopeful gazes. 'Will you solve the mystery?' they seem to ask. Sometimes they'll even voice the question aloud.
One thing is for certain: Star Children have found themselves in their very own locked room whodunnit setup!
The puzzling scenarios have a wide range of possibilities. Perhaps someone vanished, with the questions being whether they've hidden themselves somewhere in the vehicle and why. Or maybe a mysterious spirit suffers from a sudden bout of amnesia. Who are they, and how did they lose their memories in the first place? Was that person lying on the floor poisoned? If so, how? What makes these mysteries extra difficult to crack is the very magic coursing through Folkmore. That heap of ash under a seat may be evidence, burnt to a crisp with fire magic. The 'dead' body may have been moved from the original crime scene through teleportation. Or the missing ring may have been enchanted to return to its original owner, which leads to the shocking reveal that the one reporting the crime was a thief all along. All cases range in difficulty level.
There is a catch. The transport will not stop until the conundrum is brought to a satisfactory conclusion. The train will pass by stations, the Cat Bus will keep sprinting, submarines will circle Tides indefinitely… And the doors will remain locked, with even teleportation powers null and void. Star Children cannot disembark until the mystery is solved. Better work together to find those clues!
- New Star Children arrive in one of Folkmore's public transport vehicles.
- Spirits will re-enact locked room mysteries for Star Children to solve.
- Cases range from murder mysteries to missing persons, to simple theft.
- The vehicle will not stop until the mystery is resolved!
Content Warnings: Potential Information Reveal, Item Alteration
A cheerful ding rings out from each Star Child's Relic. It's a modest grab for their attention, a sign that something lies in wait. Checking out the origin, the recipients will find that they've received a message from Jewelia, one of Thirteen's aspects. It reads as follows: "It is a time for giving and a time for sharing. A time for friendship and a time for caring. Seek out this Star Child, and exchange with them a modest gift. Should you succeed and make the trade, then watch it shift."
What follows is not a name, but a list with facts. For example, a certain Star Child's role, which region they currently live in, what color their hair is, who their best friend is… It's all trivial data which, when put together, should point the seeking Star Child towards one particular individual. That's only the first part of the challenge, of course! Should they take the next step, they must give whoever they hunted down a gift. This can range from a batch of homemade cookies to a knitted sweater, to even a neat rock they found! It doesn't matter how big or small the gift is, whether it was bought or made… The present needs to be exchanged for something else.
As soon as the objects pass hands, they will evolve. They become nicer, or bigger, or tastier. The neat rock now shimmers like it's covered in eternal glitter. The knitted sweater now has a knitted hood to pull up over one's head. The cookies may take on a cutesy shape, or become more filling, with even a single bite enough to sate for a whole evening. The plain knife found in Folkmore becomes an engraved sword. This is the true power of sharing, and of paying good will forward.
Once an exchange is complete, each Star Child’s Relic will ding another time. A new list of facts appears, and they can repeat the process again. They have the option to give a new gift to their next match, or they can re-gift the item they were just given. There's no limitations to how much a single gift can upgrade, though objects will never become enchanted. They simply become nicer.
There's one more twist to this assignment: after three successful gift exchanges, the Relic plays an additional, cheerful little chime. A little victory note, almost. When the Star Child returns to their home afterwards, they'll find a small package waiting for them on their pillow (or whatever's close enough to a bed if they don't have one). Inside is a small item from their home world. It may even be a weapon or magical item. Just another reward for rising to the challenge!
A cheerful ding rings out from each Star Child's Relic. It's a modest grab for their attention, a sign that something lies in wait. Checking out the origin, the recipients will find that they've received a message from Jewelia, one of Thirteen's aspects. It reads as follows: "It is a time for giving and a time for sharing. A time for friendship and a time for caring. Seek out this Star Child, and exchange with them a modest gift. Should you succeed and make the trade, then watch it shift."
What follows is not a name, but a list with facts. For example, a certain Star Child's role, which region they currently live in, what color their hair is, who their best friend is… It's all trivial data which, when put together, should point the seeking Star Child towards one particular individual. That's only the first part of the challenge, of course! Should they take the next step, they must give whoever they hunted down a gift. This can range from a batch of homemade cookies to a knitted sweater, to even a neat rock they found! It doesn't matter how big or small the gift is, whether it was bought or made… The present needs to be exchanged for something else.
As soon as the objects pass hands, they will evolve. They become nicer, or bigger, or tastier. The neat rock now shimmers like it's covered in eternal glitter. The knitted sweater now has a knitted hood to pull up over one's head. The cookies may take on a cutesy shape, or become more filling, with even a single bite enough to sate for a whole evening. The plain knife found in Folkmore becomes an engraved sword. This is the true power of sharing, and of paying good will forward.
Once an exchange is complete, each Star Child’s Relic will ding another time. A new list of facts appears, and they can repeat the process again. They have the option to give a new gift to their next match, or they can re-gift the item they were just given. There's no limitations to how much a single gift can upgrade, though objects will never become enchanted. They simply become nicer.
There's one more twist to this assignment: after three successful gift exchanges, the Relic plays an additional, cheerful little chime. A little victory note, almost. When the Star Child returns to their home afterwards, they'll find a small package waiting for them on their pillow (or whatever's close enough to a bed if they don't have one). Inside is a small item from their home world. It may even be a weapon or magical item. Just another reward for rising to the challenge!
- Star Children receive a message on their Relic: a list of facts leading them to another Star Child.
- When they find this Star Child and exchange a small gift with them, the gift will evolve into something nicer.
- If a Star Child succeeds in three successful exchanges, they will find a small item from home waiting for them in their home, atop their pillow.
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“This isn’t part of the game,” she says, waving her free hand at the train car around them. “I’m just talking with you.”
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“Sorry, I just got here. Not just on the train but to this place. The fox brought me here and then on the train these animals were doing a murder mystery… sorry. I thought you were playing a role. The mysterious beautiful woman from my past who had a case for me to solve.”
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She cocks her head to the side. Midge isn’t even going to comment on the fact that he’s called her beautiful twice in the span of a minute, but maybe that should be her clue that this isn’t the Peter Parker she met before.
“You just got here? You don’t remember being here before?”
This isn’t the first time she’s run into someone who she thought was still in Folkmore, but apparently left and returned with no memories of ever being here.
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"Unless I had and don't remember it," he concluded, plopping himself down on the seat behind the woman. For some reason that was a bit of a breaking point- an entire life he had lived and hadn't known about. "But it's nice to meet you again, Midge. I'm Peter Parker. Still."
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She turns to look at him, offering him her hand. “Midge Maisel. It’s nice to meet you too.” Again. “Do you know where you’re going right now or is being on this train the first thing you remember?”
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"Well, I'm guessing it's not the Polar Express," he mused, then realized that in another dimension/reality/whatever this was, a lot of his references were just not going to make any sense. "That's a... that's a movie in my world about a train to the North Pole for kids to see Santa. I- I really hope you know what a movie is or when I talk about moving pictures you're going to think I'm crazy or from Hogwarts. Which is... never mind. I have no clue where I'm going."
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Peter is still his awkward self, but he seems particularly frazzled right now. Midge certainly isn’t going to make it worse for him.
“This train goes all through Folkmore. I’m planning to get off at Willow to go to the farmer’s market if you’d like to join me. Willow’s sort of like… a fairy tale village.”
Peter’s obviously welcome to continue on his own, but she can try to answer questions and help him get settled here, if he wants.
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That was also a movie reference she wouldn’t get but… that was not important right now. Farmer’s Market in the Fairy Village was important.
“I’d really like to join you, actually. I should probably find some food there? Do I have money? An apartment?”
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“Most people here are from closer to your time period,” Midge tells him. “Can’t say it does a lot to not make me feel like an antique.”
She knows she dresses old-fashioned too, but she’s leaning into it at this point. Her fashion is classic and Midge thinks she makes it look good.
“Are you kidding me?” She asks, wrinkling her nose. “I can think of a half dozen actors who would make a better president than him.”
She continues, “You probably had an apartment somewhere, but I don’t know where. You can move into a new one. Believe it or not, this conversation is making you money. This place runs of something called Lore, which we earn by interacting with each other.”
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“Not an antique, you’re… timeless, right?” Peter suggested. While her clothing set her apart it wasn’t like she was in something from the Renaissance. And as he had already made clear with the “beautiful, mysterious woman” comments that she looked good. Timeless was better than antique, right?
“Oh, so this is transactional, huh? I guess it’s a good way to get people out of the house so they can be a… legends, familiar, or… myth? I think. It was a lot of information to try and take in all at once while being sent to another reality.”
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“Yes, those are correct. Did you get assigned a role? I’m a Familiar.” Midge shrugs. The whole role thing is kind of whatever to her. She doesn’t think that all Legends are automatically good and all Myths are automatically bad. Familiars are apparently supposed to bond with either Legends or Myths, but the benefits of doing so have not really been explained.
“It’s a lot of information to take in while you’re still trying to figure out what happened.”
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“I’m not too concerned about that part though,” he admitted. If he grew wings then he’d grow wings. “Mostly I’m focused on where to sleep and shower and how to eat. Titles and all that can come later, if at all.”
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The announcer on the train calls for Willow as the next stop and Midge stands up. As she grabs her purse, a small notebook tumbles out of it and lands at Peter’s feet.
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"Here, don't forget this. Especially if it's your shopping list."
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“Thank you,” Midge says as she takes the notebook from him and shoved it more firmly down in her purse. “It’s, um… it’s where I write my jokes.”
Bet he wasn’t expecting that. Midge doesn’t hide the fact that she’s a comedian, plus any promotion is good promotion. Still, it felt strange to say out loud.
“I’m a stand-up comic,” she explains as they get off the train.
Their conversation hasn’t had a lot of jokes in it, but she supposes that she’s helping him get adjusted to being in a new, strange place.
no subject
“Do they have many comedy clubs here? Does that earn you spoons since you’re talking to people?”
no subject
“I haven’t found any purely comedy clubs here, but I have a few places that I perform regularly. I get paid in spoons, drinks, and whatever else the owner is willing to give me.”
The station where they’ve gotten off has a distinctly rural vibe to it. As they leave, thatched houses come into view.
no subject
“This place is so surreal,” he admitted as they headed into the town. This was right out of a storybook. “This has the coziest vibes ever.”
no subject
“Those are my next show dates. There are no entrance fees, so, no cutlery required,” she says with a smile.
Midge has heard people talk about “vibes” before and she’s used context clues to figure out that they mean the general feel of a place or thing. “It does,” she agrees. “Folkmore is pretty diverse, so there are a lot of different types of vibes here. The places that are urban centers, most like New York, are Epiphany and Tides.” Just in case he wants to live in someplace like home, like she wanted to.
They don’t have to go too far into town before they turn down a side street and then enter the farmer’s market. Spirits man the various stalls while others walk up and down the street, stopping to chat or make purchases.
“There’s a stall that has good coffee if you feel like you need some,” Midge says. “There’s also a pub, if you need something stronger than coffee.”
She wouldn’t blame him if he did. Waking up in an unfamiliar place would put anyone out of sorts.
no subject
“Epiphany and Tides. Thanks. I’ll have to see the other places. It’s not like I’d get a chance to live in a place like this ever back home,” he said, head on a swivel as he looked all over. It was absolutely wild to see all of this stuff in the flesh. “Coffee would be nice, but only if you let me treat you to a cup next time. When I have money. Or… spoons, I guess.”
no subject
“Sure. You’ll have plenty soon enough. The stall’s about two blocks down.” Midge turns to appraise Peter. “You seem older than you were when we first met.”
no subject
"Maybe I can find my old apartment and find some clues about that? Maybe I should leave some notes for myself in case it happens again?"
no subject
He’d showed her how to do some things on the relic and then had a drink with her after photographing her set. Peter had seemed young and a bit awkward. Now? He’s still awkward, but he seems a bit more mature. His face looks older too.
She’d noted, at the time, that he was the better-looking Peter Parker. Not that it’s much of a contest, since the other Peter is way too young for her and Midge feels like his mom whenever they talk.
“Would you believe those notes or would you start to feel like Ingrid Bergman in ‘Gaslight’?”
God she hopes he gets that reference, otherwise she’s going to feel extremely old.
no subject
"Well that depends on if you romance me and we get married after a few weeks so you can find my previous self's jewels? I guess that's not actually a perfect parallel to the movie," he admitted. He'd only run across the movie when he was curious where the term "gaslighting" had come from and Aunt May had known the answer and offered to watch the movie with him.
no subject
At first, Midge wonders if he’s trying to hit on her really strongly, then realizes he’s relaying the plot of the movie and grins. “Oh are there jewels?” she asks teasingly. “Why didn’t you say so before?”
They approach the coffee stall and peruse the menu as they stand in line.
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