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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.
II Gift Train, choo choo!
Most people. At least most reasonable people, would probably just decide it wasn't worth it and move on. Peter Parker was not most people though. He regularly swung toward danger so this was really no different. At worst she'd what... stab him? Been there. At most he would annoy her with his charm until they were friends or exchanged gifts.
"Hey," he said, walking up to her with his device in hand. "You wouldn't happen to have seen a blonde Russian woman with interesting sartorial choices and possibly a knife around here, have you?"
Maybe one that had something like, "fluffy haired, brown-eyed, Queens native man with eager puppy dog energy" on their device?
no subject
"What a specific description, no, I have not seen anyone that matches that." Offered with a very fake smile that doesn't even last until the end of her sentence, no attempt at changing her accent, and sarcasm so thick it may literally drip off the words.
More matter of fact in tone: "I do not care if that thing told you that I have a knife. I am not giving it to you, and I have nothing else to gift. Unless you have very small fingers, I suppose. Do you? I'm not giving you any of my rings either, it does not actually matter."
no subject
“I would never ask for a woman’s knife,” Peter said, not all that put off by the gruffness of the woman. If it really seemed like she wanted him gone then he would leave but he might as well try and see if she wanted to do a gift exchange or something.
“Besides I was thinking more like we could exchange gifts and then exchange them back? So we get to keep our stuff but it’s upgraded? You could have a fancier knife that way? Or rings or shoes… doesn’t have to be a knife.”
no subject
Fine. That is worth considering. "What would you be getting upgraded in this deal? How do I know you would actually give it back?"
no subject
"Well first, because if I kept it that would be stealing and that's bad. Second, you're way scarier than I am so I don't think it would end well for me if I tried to keep it. Also you can have... my shoes? That way I'll get cool shoes eventually and even if I tried to run... you'd have my shoes."
no subject
Stealing is bad. That's adorable, she has to laugh a little. "Okay, fine. We can do this. Your shoes are not as good as my knife, though, so do not try to run, or I will do something very unpleasant to you WITH your own shoes."
no subject
"Okay, since you are deeply mistrusting, which I respect, I'll leave them here and then you can pick them up and hand me the knife when you're ready," he explained, standing up and taking a few steps back. "Then when the knife transforms I'll give it right back to you."
no subject
That's reassuring, right?
That makes it seem like she is being dramatic and Yelena is tempted to protest, but she also does prefer this method of exchange, so in the end she just rolls her eyes and, well, follows instructions. Disgusting. She doesn't notice any change in the shoes when she picks them up, but she supposes that makes sense. With some unavoidable reluctance, she fishes the knife out of one of her pockets and holds it out, handle first, with the driest "Merry Christmas" she can manage.
no subject
"Okay that was really cool and kind of freaky? I do not have a whole lot of experience with magic but... freaky and cool is about par for the course."
no subject
Their appearance does not change overly much once the magic fades, aside from looking newer than new. It seems to be mostly changes to their composition, the fabric growing thicker and more sturdy, the support of the sole increasing. If they passed them back and forth enough, could they get bullet proof shoes? That would be neat.
no subject
“But this is pretty cool. Okay, here you go,” he said, offering her the knife back, handle first. “Merry Christmas.”
no subject
There was also the factor of how often magic was used to fuck with someone's mind, in the real - well, this world is real too.
Yelena doesn't bother trying to hide that she is more comfortable once she has taken the knife back. "Thank you very much. Merry Christmas."
no subject
“I guess I just hope that if I had it I’d use it to help people,” he said with a shrug. That was a slippery slope, of course, but so was being able to lift a car and throw it at people and that was something he’d dealt with already. The woman reminded him a bit of MJ though, with her distrust of… just things in general.
Once she accepted the knife Peter relaxed too, because the lat thing he wanted was for her to feel like she really needed to get her knife back. Grinning at her, he took the shoes.
“Thanks,” he said as the shoes shimmered and shone again. They still looked very, very new but he noticed a small change in them. “Whoa, automatic laces like in Back to the Future? That’s awesome!”
no subject
She examines the knife - a proper knife, now, not some dull dinner knife, nicely shined - and eventually nods, satisfied, although she only smiles very slightly about it for a quick second.
And then her expression goes confused. "What do the shoelaces have to do with the future?"
no subject
"Oh, it's a movie in my world, 'Back to the Future'. At one part a guy visits the future and they have shoes that lace themselves. I wonder if they have movies from our worlds here..."
no subject
"What a silly thing to invent. How long does it even take to lace your shoes?"
no subject
"I'm Peter, by the way," he said, offering his hand to shake. "You don't... you don't have to shake, with the distrust and all that stuff."
no subject
"Why would that mean I would not shake your hand? I still have manners." When she wants to, anyways. Nothing about Peter currently suggests a threat, and he does not seem to have been here for much longer than she has so, even if he were someone who regularly did carry a weapon which seems unlikely, odds are he has been disarmed same as she herself. So, sure, she'll shake his hand. "But I am not telling you my name."