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February-March 2024 Test Drive Meme
February-March 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 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.
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: Power Nullification, Potential Kidnapping, Potential Animal Spirit Harm
The island of Never Fade can no longer be seen in the sky from elsewhere in Folkmore, enclosed within a large purple tinted cloud. Within that cloud, the island is under water—a dreamy purple underwater that all Star Children can breath in if they breath and function in if they function on electricity, so on and so forth. It causes no more difficulties than reduced visibility and greater effort to walk. It's even possible to swim underneath the island, so long as Star Children make sure to make landfall before they get too exhausted and… well… fall.
Friendnapped
Spread the Love
The island of Never Fade can no longer be seen in the sky from elsewhere in Folkmore, enclosed within a large purple tinted cloud. Within that cloud, the island is under water—a dreamy purple underwater that all Star Children can breath in if they breath and function in if they function on electricity, so on and so forth. It causes no more difficulties than reduced visibility and greater effort to walk. It's even possible to swim underneath the island, so long as Star Children make sure to make landfall before they get too exhausted and… well… fall.
Friendnapped
The purple water has streaks of silver shot throughout it. Beware, these silver streaks neutralize powers, canon and role abilities alike, for at least an hour. A neutralized Legend won't be able to sense others in danger. A neutralized Myth won't sense danger coming. A neutralized Familiar won't be able to shapeshift to help others. That may set of a danger alarm but not any spidey-sense. These silver streaks are harbingers of spirits recently returned to Folkmore thanks to donations at the Shattered Spoon Shrine: lonely sharks.
The source of the silver streaks in the water, these silver gray sharks swim up and gently bite people. These bites make people go instantly limp but otherwise don't do any damage. They won't even break the skin. Once limp, the lonely sharks take theirpreynew best friends down to a cave or grotto off the underside of Never Fade. These caves are full of silver water, saturated by the magic of lonely sharks, and the entrances are covered by a thin silver barrier that prevents Star Children from leaving. That means should a Star Child track down where someone is being kept, should they enter its home, they too will be trapped there.
Being held by the lonely sharks isn't the worst experience. These spirits will try to please their new friends, giving them their favorite foods and perhaps even an item from home. This may even be a weapon or magical item. Mind, the magic of these items will be neutralized in the shark's cave. It is possible to fight a lonely shark, even to kill one, but that will only be a temporary measure. Star Children will remain trapped and have to wait for the lonely shark to revive—with even more golden cracks than before. In the end, the only way to escape are hugs, cuddles, and other measures of friendship. Once all the golden cracks have thinned and disappeared, Star Children can leave.
Spread the Love
By the time mid-March comes around, most of the lonely sharks have been fully healed and no longer kidnap Star Children. Instead they swim the None of the Above tunnels below the island's surface, where they provide guidance to Star Children who ask them how to get somewhere. If Star Children have nowhere particular in mind, the lonely sharks encourage Star Children to make their way toward the Shattered Spoon Shrine.
The lonely sharks still create silver streaks in the water that neutralize powers, but they will accompany Star Children and warn them of some of the dangers. When voices call their names, the sharks will snuggle up against Star Children to provide comfort. They're devoted to helping Star Children reach the shrine. Once there, they will encourage the Star Children to donate Lore to one of the broken spoons there, each spoon representing spirits who have left, spirits who became shells of themselves from lack of lore, or ghosts.
Star Children who donate Lore will find their companion lonely shark presenting them with an item from home. This may even be a weapon or magical item. Mind, the magic will be neutralized until the Star Child has spent at least an hour away from the silvery water lonely sharks create. Lonely sharks will happily spend as much time with Star Children as they're willing but will show the way back to the surface either via LIM (Lavender Institute of the Mind) or the None of the Above tunnels.
- Never Fade is underwater within a cloud.
- Silver streaks in the water neutralize powers, both canon and Role based.
- Lonely sharks kidnap Star Children and take them to caves on the underside of Never Fade.
- Star Children who find those caves are trapped too.
- Escape by hugs, cuddles, and being friends.
- By the second month, most lonely sharks are healed and found in the tunnels.
- Lonely sharks guide Star Children to the Shattered Spoon Shrine to donate Lore to help others.
- Either when captive or once donating Lore, lonely sharks will give Star Children an item from home.
Content Warnings: Forced Relocation, Potential Secret Revelation, Potential Coerced Physical Intimacy
With the wide range of Star Children from many different worlds, sharing similarities, it's no surprise when moments of deja vu happen. That sense of the familiar with the new, the sense of something that happened before without quite being able to place it… or perhaps it being impossible. Regardless, when that connective moment happens, the Star Children involved are transported to a windmill home from the Cloud Colonies. They land together on a couch before a large television with all the makings of a movie night. There could be wine and cheese. There could be soda and popcorn. There could be tea or other hot beverages. There's a cozy blanket (only one). The movie has already been selected, and it starts playing.
Headliner
Remake
With the wide range of Star Children from many different worlds, sharing similarities, it's no surprise when moments of deja vu happen. That sense of the familiar with the new, the sense of something that happened before without quite being able to place it… or perhaps it being impossible. Regardless, when that connective moment happens, the Star Children involved are transported to a windmill home from the Cloud Colonies. They land together on a couch before a large television with all the makings of a movie night. There could be wine and cheese. There could be soda and popcorn. There could be tea or other hot beverages. There's a cozy blanket (only one). The movie has already been selected, and it starts playing.
Headliner
The movie is roughly based off one of the Star Children's lives, specifically for the Star Child that experience deja vu and triggered this experience. Regardless of the moment of deja vu, the plot of the movie is based off of some real or potential relationship—romantic or queer platonic—in their life. That Star Child can recognize some similarities immediately. If they had any doubts, they get a text message on their relic as the movie starts:
You need to get closer with your companion(s). You can either talk about what happened (or didn't) or not talk wink wink about it with them. The choice is yours (and theirs)! Have fun!
It's possible to ignore the message, at least for a while. The longer the movie plays, the more apparent it becomes that it's based off that Star Child. The starring character's clothes will change to resemble theirs. The cadence of their voice will shift to imitate theirs. Their facial features will shift. These changes will become more and more heavy handed as the movie goes on until even the most clueless companion will have real trouble not picking up on it. It may get harder and harder to distract them from talking about it! There's no pause button, and the only way to mute the movie is to *ahem* distract themselves from it until it becomes an indistinct background murmur.
Remake
If any Star Children thought this experience might have been a Valentine's Day prank, they'll be poorly mistaken come mid-March when it continues with a twist. The movie less closely resembles any one Star Child's life (whew?)… because it blends the lives of all those present together into a new story. One character is based off each Star Child, and it fits the other Star Child into the role of someone who was or could have been emotionally and/or physically intimate with them. If they had any doubts, each Star child gets a text message on their relic as the movie starts:
You need to get closer with your companion(s). You can either talk about what happened (or didn't) or not talk wink wink about it with them. The choice is yours (and theirs)! Have fun!
Not only does each Star Child have to decide what approach they want to take, but the other Star Child may pick up on what they're putting down! One Star Child may want to talk it out, but the other one desperately doesn't. Oh noes, how shall it be resolved? Well, the longer it takes, the more clearly the film demonstrates one way they could resolve it—a fictionalized ending, happy or sad or bittersweet or anything else, between the characters as they more closely resemble those watching them on the sofa. No one's free until they have a heart to heart or a something to something else. Any physical intimacy can do.
- Experience a moment of deja vu and get transported to a cozy living room in a Cloud Colony windmill.
- For the first month, the 'host' Star Child gets a text letting them know to get intimate—emotionally or physically.
- For the second month, all Star Children get that text.
- For the first month, the movie is based on the 'host' Star Child's experiences, what did or could have happened. As the movie progresses, it becomes more and more obvious that's the case.
- For the second month, the movie is a story blending Star Children's experiences together. That too will become more obvious over time.
- Some form of intimacy is the only way out!
Headliner
He knows, if he'd ever been turned into an incurable zombie, that he'd want to be taken out quickly, so as to not have his strength turned into a weapon for his own personal gain. So he isn't upset that it happened, really. Not for him, anyway. ]
Maybe we should see if they can turn this off. Or switch it to something else.
no subject
Maybe we can just pull the plug.
[Just because he's angry and shamed doesn't mean he should let Steve be subjected to more atrocities from his last memories in his world. Cap doesn't need to see Vision's betrayal, or T'Challa's suffering. And if Bucky is being honest, he doesn't want to relive Hope's and Okoye's deaths either.
He moves behind the screen and pulls on the cord, hoping it will be enough to turn it black and silent. If this doesn't work, he's not opposed to embedding the shield into the TV.]
I'm sorry you had to see that, [he offers as he frowns lightly, his jaw tensing, as his lips press into a hard line, his gaze guarded. He's compartmentalizing again, keeping the hurt at bay, because really, that's all he can do under the weight of guilt he feels.] I had to protect them.
no subject
[ He doesn't think this is his world - he's pretty sure that after thinking he was dead and that Sam and Buck were so happy to see him because he had been a ghost to them, that he wasn't actually dead. But he's pretty sure that they would've somehow tipped him off if he'd become a zombie.
In fact, they probably should have let him know if this was going to happen. So it's just much more believable that this Bucky is from another universe, separate and distinct from his own. But Bucky doesn't know that. He might not know there are other Steves, other T'Challas. And maybe he wouldn't care - he'd lost his.
Even at the same time, despite being unplugged, the screen comes back on, and starts up again where it'd left off. ]
no subject
[Bucky realizes that it's not saying much to Steve, and he let goes for the cord, moving back in front of the TV.]
Last time I saw you...him, [he starts nodding towards the blackened screen], alive and well was two years ago when T'Challa offered to find a way to remove the Winter Soldier programming from my brain after we fought Stark in Siberia. Got out of ice a couple of months after that when Shuri figured it all out. A few weeks ago, I went back home alongside General Okoye of the Dora Milaje when T'Challa disappeared with the rest of the Avengers at the start of the outbreak.
[He's heard of other universes than his own since he's arrived in this world, and while Bucky is still grasping to understand what it all means in the grand scheme of things, there is some measure of comfort to know that there are other Steves and T'Challas that didn't meet the same terrible fate than the ones in his universe.
James groans when the TV turns on again, now showing Hope's last message to Peter, asking him to smile for her, and he turns his gaze away as her gargantuan form falls back on a sea of zombies.]
Do you mind if I...? [He asks Steve, raising his left fist to signify his desire to punch through the screen.
Bucky is no stranger to churning his guilt and remembering all the wrong he's done in his life, voluntarily or not, but he usually does so without an audience. And he has no desire to share more of his hurt and guilt for now, even with Steve.
And somewhere in the back of his mind, he notices that his device is vibrating, but it gets ignored again.]
no subject
[ He knows he doesn't like to be confronted with his own private traumas either, but the Fox really has a way of completely ignoring their wants for a pursuit of whatever it is that she thinks she's doing. In most cases, it just feels wrong and invasive.
Steve only wants to hear the parts that Bucky wants to tell him about, as his friend. ]
There's another Steve here, too. He's from another universe - one where he didn't take the serum. And according to Peggy, you became Secretary of State.
[ He knows it's not a comfort to explain what's going on on different worlds, but - maybe Bucky could escape to one of the others, with whoever's left. ]
no subject
Thanks. [He's likely to share, one day, when all the losses don't feel so raw anymore; when he's figured that he still can allow himself to be friends with Steve even if they don't come from the same universe. But for now, just adjusting to this new world is a task in itself.]
Captain Carter mentioned the other Steve to me when we met after I landed in this place. And I'm still not unconvinced that their Bucky isn't an imposter. I don't think I've ever been made for politics. [He adds with the hint of an amused smile on his lips.
It still feels strange to think that he got his white picket fence happy ending somewhere in another universe. It's a small measure of comfort to know that not all versions of him had to go through the torture and the killings and the suffering.]
How long have you been here for?
no subject
[ Like how Peggy had taken the mantle of Super Soldier from him, and had inspired so many little girls as a result. But now knowing what had happened to Steve - was that any worse than what had happened to Bucky?
He knows, he'd take that alternative in a heartbeat. If it meant Peggy and Bucky got their respective happy endings.
But he doesn't say that. ]
Been here for a year and a half. Which means, I know what kind of tricks the fox has up her sleeve.
[ Like how the screen in front of them magically repairs, and starts up where they left off. ]
no subject
Bucky groans and runs his flesh hand over his face as the TV repairs itself, mumbling exasperatedly:]
I hate this place.
[He then looks back at Steve, looking uncomfortable again, even as he tries to hide it:]
Do you know how to turn it off, then? Or just how to get out of here? [A pause, before he adds, almost reluctantly:] I don't think you're going to like the rest of it.
[Because he knows Steve believes in the best of everyone, and he will no doubt be disappointed by Vision's betrayal. And the man cares about Wanda, Bucky knows that much, and he doesn't need to see her being a mindless zombie.
The device in his pocket buzzes again, and he takes it out, annoyed by the interruption, muttering:] What the hell is wrong with this thing?
no subject
[ He gets up to inspect the screen. ]
Usually in these trials Thirteen just wants us to generate more lore. That usually means having a heart to heart or - hugging it out.
[ Both of which seem a little invasive for the current situation, but Steve sits back down and says: ]
He'd have wanted you to kill him off. If you couldn't find a cure. He wouldn't have wanted to hurt anyone. You know that. He'd rather have died.
no subject
[It's a change of subject, and Bucky knows it, but anything to not talk about what's playing on the TV. But when he pulls out his device and reads the text message as he listens to Steve talk about these trials, his expression sour:]
I think you might be right, [he says as he shows the message to Steve.
It's not that he doesn't trust Steve, even if it's not the Steve he knows from his world. It's not hard to figure out that Cap is who he is in any other universe, after all. It's just that this is all fresh in his mind, and he hasn't had time to process it all. Or rather, he hasn't taken the time to.
He watches Steve sit back down on the couch but Bucky doesn't follow. Instead, he leans back on the wall again, arms crossed over his chest as he mulls over Cap's words. He doesn't mean to put distance between him and the other man, but he just needs space, for now.]
I know. I would have wanted the same thing too. But it doesn't make it any easier. [This is not how he imagined things ending between the two of them.]
There is a cure. The Mind Stone emits a frequency that can revert the effect of the virus. [Don't ask him how, he likes science but that's beyond his knowledge level.] The rest of the group is trying to get it to Wakanda so we can broadcast it worldwide.
no subject
[ He sounds hopeful for Bucky. But it seems that it sounds hopeless at the moment. He believes they can do it, though. Even though they've lost a lot... it doesn't mean that it's over. ]
Buck.
[ He takes a deep breath. ]
Meeting another me is great. We get along. We trust each other. It's like having another brother - a third brother.
[ To him and Buck, anyway. He counts Bucky as a brother; in this context it'd feel wrong to discount him. It doesn't matter to him that this one isn't the one he grew up with, because he at least shares the bulk of his memories with his Bucky. ]
It's going to take some time, but, you've gotta forgive yourself. He would.
no subject
It’s the mention of a third brother that claws at Bucky: their fraternal love is one of the many things that HYDRA took away from him, from both of them, and in his world, he will never have the chance to have that again in his life, even if they all manage to bring the stone to Wakanda. Would it be so wrong to rekindle that brotherhood here, even if he’s not this Steve’s Bucky?]
I know. I just… [he starts, his voice quiet and thoughtful, before he pauses again, his forehead creasing lightly as he seems to search his thoughts and his words.]
I’m not sure where to start, to be honest. [With Cap’s death, with all that he’s done in the past. It’s hard not to feel overwhelmed when trying to think about it all.]
no subject
Steve will just have to give that time for him. ]
Start wherever you want. You'll get to the point you wanna make eventually.
[ But he does want Bucky to talk to him. He wants to reach out and make him feel that he can just work this out with Steve. Even a little bit. ]