February-March 2024 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

February-March 2024 TDM

Introduction

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This Test Drive meme is open to all.
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.

Current players are always encouraged to tag new people on the TDM!


🦊 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.

[ Soon You'll Get Better ★ Netfox & Chill]

Soon You'll Get Better . ★

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

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 their prey new 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.

Netfox & Chill . ★

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

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!

Comments

[uncrownedawn]

[ This being the second time now he’s been transported somewhere suddenly against his will and also the second time someone has bared their fangs at him, Diluc is unimpressed as a whole at the entire ordeal. He gives the other man a flat stare, eyes a natural warm scarlet and he crosses his arms. He might be unarmed currently, but he’s no slouch at fighting hand-to-hand if he has to. He’d rather it not come to that though, so he doesn’t raise his voice at the other. ]

You’ve quite the imagination if you think I have any interest in someone I do not know, let alone enough interest to be responsible for this.

[ He throws the blanket off of him pointedly. ]

So, if you please, control your temper.

[aquilasshadow]

I'm an artist.

[He snapped back. It was only natural for him to have quite the imagination and he had the trauma to back it up. Why should he trust him? He was distracted when Diluc tossed a blanket his way. It seemed like a harmless action but not for someone who could hear souls when he touched their shadow. He flinched as if the blanket was a snake. He quickly tried to move away but he was too late and Diluc's soul song brushed against his mind. His eyes flashed brighter with a mix of panic and rage as he muttered a quick curse in his native language, which sounded similar to Arabic.

He hadn't expected the calm melody that flooded his mind. He tried to resist but his anger started to fade under its spell. The violent glow from his eyes calmed down a little. Maybe Diluc was telling the truth. One of the few good things about his place was that no one knew him here so they had no reason to harm him. He sank into the sofa and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh as he tried to pull himself away from the soothing melody in his head.

He bristled when Diluc told him to control his temper. His eyes flashed brighter again as he turned to him with a small glare.]

Don't tell me what to do.

[uncrownedawn]

[ There’s justified suspicion and then there’s paranoia. Both are responses that Diluc is intimately familiar with and his instincts tell him this one leans to the far side of the spectrum, the paranoid side, especially with the way he flinches at a blanket that happened to brush against him.

Not good. Paranoid people are extra dangerous and Diluc has no intention of burning the house down because a stranger is itching to lash out. Instead, he gets to his feet. ]

Whatever. Believe me or don’t. It matters little. I’m not interested in wasting time arguing with you when I can be finding my way out of here.

[ But then the huge screen in front of them flicks on with a loud buzz, humming as black and white static covers the picture. ]

[aquilasshadow]

[Altair had always been quick to lash out, especially when he felt vulnerable. Diluc's response with his soul song nagging him to calm down was annoying but he had a point. The loud buzz from the screen directed his suspicion elsewhere and his eyes narrowed with a sharp spark from his glowing eyes.]

Not that I care what you think, but I believe you. This feels like another trap from that damn fox. If I'm right the door's locked but you don't have to take my word for it.

[In fact he was hoping that he wouldn't so he could check the screen before Diluc saw it.]

[uncrownedawn]

[ The sound is one Diluc has never heard before in his life and he has never seen an object like this before either, so both get his attention immediately. He stares at it — or, more correctly glares at it — to see what it does, his reflexes on high alert. He's not concerned about the other young man in the room; he's concerned about that thing. ]

If The Fox is up to something, you should stand up and be ready for whatever is going to happen next.

[ The device pops and the screen goes from static to an image. Diluc is watching it, on edge certainly, but he's also a bit curious. Intriguing. Moving pictures, like Fontainian art films. ]

[aquilasshadow]

[So much distracting him, although he got some satisfaction from his reaction to the TV screen. His mouth twitched with the hint of an amused smile. Maybe he could use this. Despite what Diluc thought he wasn't just sitting around and his eyes narrowed with an irritated sharp flash at the assumption.

Didn't he tell Diluc not to tell him what to do? Instead he leaned back against the sofa and crossed his arms.]

The screen is the trap. I wouldn't look at it too much if I were you. You might get pulled inside.

[Honestly it was a ridiculous bluff but he wouldn't have to worry about what Diluc might see on the screen if he could keep him from looking at it.]

[uncrownedawn]

[ Dilic scoffs, his eyes shimmering from their natural ruby color to a cold yellow. He’s unfamiliar with the technology— not an idiot. ]

And risk being left here with you? No thank you. I’ll take my chances.

[ Years of military training have gifted him with a rather wide peripheral awareness, so while his attention is still on the screen, he’s not oblivious to the other man’s actions in the room. Diluc doesn’t trust him any more than he trusts Diluc, after all, but he’s also confident he can put up a good fight if he needs to. As it stands, he won’t be looking away from the screen anytime soon. ]

[aquilasshadow]

[Altair shrugged with an amused scoff. Can't blame him for trying. When they were kidnapped by friendly sharks and teleported against their will was a haunted TV really that much of a stretch?]

I hate to break it to you but we are stuck with each other.

[Still the fact remains that his bluff didn't work and now Diluc seemed even more interested in the screen. His eyes narrowed with an irritated flicker as he turned to screen. Honestly depending on what he saw a fight might not be such a bad idea. There was more than one way to distract Diluc and it would be fun to wipe that confident look off of his face.]