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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!
arrival
Even with the metal arm and the long, luscious locks cascading around his shoulders, there's something familiar about the man staring at the building. It's not until she maneuvers a better angle that the recognition hits and now it's his turn to stare.]
Bucky? You look... [Different, bigger, prettier, and younger. So, not her universe obviously. After a few moments of connecting some of the dots and not knowing others, she huffs out a laugh and grins, motioning towards the pub.] Thirsty. Fancy some drinks?
no subject
Agent Carter? I thought you were...['dead' is what he wants to say, remembering now Steve saying so as they talked on their way to Wakanda after Siberia. But it seems callous to say so, and all Bucky can add is:]...smaller.
[He gives the pub's door a quick look before looking back at Peggy, a hint of a small on his lips as he nods:]
Sure. As long as you don't mind sharing your intel on this place?
[He needs to find his bearings, quick, and the first step is to gather info on his whereabouts, more than what that Fox was willing to share.]
no subject
Steve didn't receive the serum in our universe. [She explains as she looks him over, taking in what details and differences she can notice. And to clarify what he's probably already piecing together.] I did.
[Motioning to the door, Peggy steps through after him.]
I'll share what I'm able. [There are some things that aren't her place to volunteer, but anything else? Fair game.] Scotch?
no subject
Captain. [With time, maybe, he'll feel comfortable to call her 'Peggy'., but for now, he opts for more neutral territory. Her explanation does make him frown lightly, concern seeping into his tone of voice despite himself:]
Why didn't Steve get the serum in your world? Did something happen to him?
[Even if he seemingly just killed a zombified version of his best friend in his world, Bucky can't imagine a universe without Steve.
He steps into the pub, and even if the place isn't busy, Bucky can't help but tense lightly at the crowd. Even before the zombie outbreak, he's never been really comfortable with crowded places: after breaking out of HYDRA's control, there were too many chances he might be recognized. And even in Wakanda, he had kept to himself, preferring the tranquillity of the countryside to the city. And when the outbreak had happened, well, crowded places had become deadly places.
He tries not to let it show, but even as he walks to a table, he sweeps the room for the exits, for potential weapons and for people who seem nervous just seeing him, though no one seems to care about him, even with the vibranium arm on display. He chooses a table that gives a good view of the whole room out of instinct, sitting with his back firmly pressed against the wall. He nods once:]
Sure, though it'll have to be your treat, I don't have a cent to my name here.
no subject
At his question, Peggy's brow furrows ever so slightly, thinking of the path that her Steve took and how her answer would have been immediate and much different not so long ago.]
The HYDRA agent that infiltrated the Project Rebirth procedure shot Steve. I took his place so Dr. Erskine's work wouldn't go to waste. [And now she's a 6'1" brick shithouse of a lady.] There's more to our stories, but we survived... In our own ways. [Her features brighten up as she reminds herself of the now.] He's here you know, my Steve.
[She opens her mouth to ask about his Steve Rogers when she notices him tense and scan the room. In a gesture meant to comfort, she places her hand on his normal forearm and gently squeezes before releasing it. There's a risk he might startle and react, but she's confident she can handle him if that's the case.
Only once he finishes running down his entry checklist and settles into a seat does Peggy join him, taking the seat adjacent to him on the four top. She'd rather have her back to the wall too, but he seems to need its support more.]
Only if you get next time. [And assuming he will do just that, she orders two single malts on the rocks from a passing server.] When did you land?
no subject
He nods once at her explanation, not missing how her demeanour changed for a moment as she mentions that there is more to their stories, but Bucky doesn't press: he'll listen if she wants to share, but he's the first one to understand that sometimes sharing trauma is not done easily.]
'Your' Steve, huh? [he asks with a hint of an amused smile on his lips. He remembers how Steve had pinned over Peggy during the war, and it's nice to think that at least a version of the man might find his happy ending after all.
He does startle when she reaches for him, and it's only the gentle squeeze of her hand on his forearm that stops him from jerking away from her out of instinct. The Fox has said that he is safe in this world, but James is still so unused to people reaching for him this freely that her momentary touch leaves him baffled for a moment. Most people are afraid of him, but then again, she might not know why they are.
He mulls this over until she speaks again, and he nods:] I will. [He's more of an Irish whiskey kind of guy, but he's not going to turn down a drink, not after all he's gone through.]
An hour ago, I think. You?
no subject
Yes, my Steve. [It's firm, but there's a warmth to it. He's from her universe as far as they've figured, and they are courting despite recent events throwing a slight wrench in how that looks. So yes, he's her Steve.
She notices the flinch, but has no intention of making a big deal about it.
PTSD's par for the course for any soldier, but even more so for those who become POWs. HYDRA and the Red Room both were not kind to their captives, regardless of the universe.]
A month, give or take some time. [Some days it feels like less, and others more.] I'm from 2014. Pulled from mid-mission on the Lemurian Star. [And after her stint with the Guardians of the Multiverse. Peggy puts a pin in that story.] When I arrived here, Steve's last memories were from during the war, right around when I time-jumped into the future through the Tesseract, but he recently disappeared and came back from a point fifty years later, ahead of my time, actually.
[With those memories, the actual tiredness of the super soldier is revealed, her shoulders sagging slightly and lips frowning.] It's all a bit tricky.
[With perfect timing, the drinks arrive. Peggy waits for their server to bustle off before speaking again, out of habit, her intensity returning as she holds his gaze. This way, there's no misunderstanding that she knows Bucky will understand her next statement and the weight of its meaning.]
The Red Room got their hands on him.
no subject
I'm glad you two finally got together, then. The Steve I knew never really got over you. [He offers with honesty. Her Steve might not be the one he knows, but it doesn't mean that he cannot be genuinely happy for the man to be able to finally get his girl.
He listens to her story intently, noting in his mind the difference between her journey as a Super Soldier with what he knows of Steve's. There are similarities and differences, but it seems that both of them have been well chosen for the hero's job. He notes the sag in her shoulders and he nods:]
I can only imagine, especially if people are coming from all sorts of universes. [It's an easy guess he can make, even after being in this world just less than a day.]
It's 2018 for me. Things are...not good. [He offers slowly, his brow creasing slightly at the thought of his world.] There's a virus that turned most of the human population into zombies. We found a potential cure, but we still need to bring it to Wakanda to be able to have it effectively work on everyone affected. And even then, I don't think we'll be able to bring everyone back.
[There's a note of sadness in his voice at the end. Luckily for him, their server comes with their drinks and Bucky reaches for his glass, raises it in a silent toast and takes a sip, letting the alcohol burn his throat comfortingly.
But Peggy's words darken his mood considerably, and the vibranium hand on his lap clenches and unclenches unconsciously: the intensity of her gaze makes it clear that she knows what happened to him, somehow, and that she thinks the same happened to her Steve as well. And the thought of it breaks his heart for them both:]
The Red Room normally deals with female assassins, training them from childhood. Why would they want Steve and not you? You would have fitted their needs better, from what I know.
[And he knows a whole lot more than he lets on.]
no subject
No offense.
As he continues, her demeanor sobers, and she's not as shocked as one might expect at the subject of zombies. The note about a cure, however, gives her hope for his world, no matter how small.] Who's left to carry on that mission?
[She doesn't ask who he's lost, or if he's dead back in his universe.
Instead, she focuses on the beacon of hope he's helped foster. If she goes down the thoughts of the former, then she'll undoubtedly get lost in a what if scenario no amount of alcohol could brighten.
They really should focus on one trauma at a time. Peggy exhales a heavy sigh.]
Apparently, that's Melina's goal. He was a means to many ends. First an assassin, then asset retrieval. [It's difficult to say out loud, but she focus on it being the Red Room's conditioning that did those horrible things.] She sent him after me in the HYDRA Stomper. [She pauses, trying to decide the best way to explain it.] Initially, Howard created it as a large suit of armor for Steve to fight with the Commandos during the war. Like a Hulk sized Iron Man suit powered by the Tesseract.
[Peggy lets that sink in while finishing off her drink in a long swallow, then continues.]
According to Steve, after the Lemarian Star mission the Red Room targeted my Bucky--the Secretary of State--in order to draw me back to the Red Room. They knew I'd never give up on him, on Steve.
[And it's clear that she hasn't. Nor will she give up on Bucky. Still, it's painful to think about what Steven endured. What they both endured.]
I was able to get through to him, in the end.
no subject
It's not so hard for Bucky to draw the parallels between this Steve's story and his own, and he gets now why Peggy felt compelled to tell him: he understands the pain behind not being in control of your own actions.
There's a small twitch in his jaw as she mentions Howard, and all Bucky can hope for is that Steve wasn't ordered to kill the man as he had been.]
Did Tony follow in his father's footsteps too in your world?
[He's in the process of taking a sip of his scotch when Carter drops the bomb of his counterpart in her universe, and Bucky inhales the liquor wrong, causing him to choke and cough:]
Wait.....I'm in politics? I really got hit badly on the head falling off that train, huh? [He runs his flesh hand over his face, his mind thinking on how, according to her timeline, her Bucky has replaced Pierce, and all he can hope is that the Bucky she knows isn't the head of HYDRA like Pierce was in his universe. He sobers up quickly before he continues on:]
Yeah, you two have that in common. Not giving up easily on people. And I'm not surprised you got through to him. [His gaze drops to the glass in his hand, swirling it slowly, watching the ice cubes dance in the amber liquid.] It takes a strong connection to break through the conditioning.
[He knows. Which is why the pain of losing Steve in his world is heavy. Mingled with the guilt of having to be the one to end it all makes it all heavier, it seems. And with that darkened thought, Bucky finishes his glass in a single sip, needing the burn of the liquor even if he can't get drunk.]
no subject
[This is a debriefing of sorts after all, and Peggy's happy to exchange information as well as build trust with an old friend from a terribly traumatic alternate dimension. She has a feeling that won't be an easy task, though she hopes that she and the Steves will have a leg up on that.
Her arm twitches as though she's going to place a hand on his forearm in comfort, but she merely lifts her wrists an inch or so and replaces it on the table.
She doesn't know for certain, but imagines that that particularly Winter Soldier mission still haunts him.]
Mhm. He did. He's Iron Man in my universe, and he's here too. [And while she doesn't say it, there's a look that she shares with Bucky that he might want to tread cautiously at first with Tony.] He doesn't always end up as Iron Man either, depending on the universe.
[Bucky choking on alcohol is enough to break the seriousness again for a bit, and Peggy can't help but grin into her own glass, a soft huff of a laugh fogging it slightly. But it's quickly sobered by his next question, to which her head shakes.]
I caught you before you could. [A beat where she considers something, brow furrowing slightly.] Though you did comment that I almost ripped off your arm. [Gosh the multiverse is weird.
She notices his demeanor shift, and this time she does reach out, placing her hand on the wrist of the hand holding the glass, giving it a firm squeeze to pull him back to the now. Her eyebrow lifts in question, a silent 'what happened?' without pushing too hard.]
The Bucky I know fits that bill too. [Her grip loosens so he can finish his drink, and she glances over to a nearby server with a quick hand motion for another round.
And with whatever happened:] I'm certain that you did everything that you could back home.
no subject
They all are good people to have on your side. [There's a pause where his brow furrows lightly:]
If you ever go back to your universe, T'Challa is the one you want to seek out to help Steve with the whole brainwashing thing. His sister, Princess Shuri, is the one who helped me with mine. I'm sure she can figure something out for Steve. They live in Wakanda, a small nation in Africa. Whatever you heard about it, they have the resources and the technology for it.
Tony is here? [Bucky can't help but frown at that. He'll have to make and give the man a wide berth: he doesn't want to have to fight Iron Man here, even if Tony's anger is warranted. Once was enough, and he really does like his vibranium arm.
The fact that he didn't fall off the train does seem to surprise him:]
So, I was never captured by HYDRA in your world? [That...would mean that the Bucky she knows is no HYDRA pawn in politics. It's weird, to think in another universe he could have had a good life.
This time around, he doesn't flinch at her touch. But when Peggy's gaze meets his, there's an also imperceptible shake of his head at her unspoken question. He's not ready to talk about what happened at home. Not yet.]
I tried, [he offers sincerely, hoping his sacrifice was able to buy some time for the kid and T'Challa to get to the Quinjet.]