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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!
no subject
It doesn't take much. ]
I get it though. That is what most people do. [ She's been there. 90% of the people in her life are villains are a varying scale. ]
no subject
(It wasn't stupid. It was good.)
...but she doesn't. It's a relief to find someone else in the creepy magical shark cave, and she knows it'd be a bad idea to push them away.
She leans against the cave wall and smiles faintly, threading her fingers together and placing her hands in her lap.]
Yep. Not too many people agree with me on that one. They'll insist that humans are inherently good and well-meaning and kind, and... they're not. They're really not.
[A pause. She looks at the shark, who is still hovering around her, her eyes following its every move.]
So, you really think this dummy just wants to be friends?
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[ That feels a bit invasive to ask and she immediately feels bad for it. Her shark buddy seems to realize this and absolutely cannot stand the idea that his new friend is potentially sad. It swims off and she blinks, but shrugs. ]
Luckily we're dealing with magical sharks and not people. Which means they're playing by different rules right?
[ As if on cue her shark swims back with...a bottle of bourbon. Losing her powers didn't seem to mean losing that vampire hunger that's always there. Alcohol helps and she'd even gotten semi used to the taste of bourbon! Either way the gesture is appreciated on her side and she smiles at the shark and gives it a gentle pat. ]
I definitely do think they just want to be friends. This is the fourth thing this one has brought me that makes it seem like he's just trying hard to help
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Eh. It's fine. Let's just move past that. [She says casually, with a quick wave of her hand.]
Yeah, I mean, I guess I've never met a magical shark until now, so I don't know how they op... [Wait. Wait. Hold up. What the hell does that shark have, there? Dee cranes her neck and starts watching Elena's shark. She notices the bourbon, and raises both eyebrows. A lightbulb goes off in Dee's head, and she barely even hears what Elena's saying now.] ...op...erate. Huh.
[She looks down at her shark and waves a hand at it. And when she speaks, it's with a higher-pitched, placating tone.] Hey, little buddy, can you go get me a bottle of tequila? I would really love it if you did.
[Predictably, the shark swims off to fulfill Dee's wish, and Dee watches it, fascinated.]
Wow. It's kind of sad though, isn't it? You'd think they'd want to be friends with other sharks, but instead they choose people?
no subject
Exactly, we're in uncharted waters with magical sharks. [ There's probably someone here that's encountered some version of magical sharks before. Elena's 100% convinced of that after all the really interesting people she's met. She however has 0 experience with it despite her exceptionally weird life. ] I've met witches, but no witch sharks. [ What she wouldn't give for her witch friend to be here right now. She'd know what to do.
Suddenly Dee's shark swims off to, presumably, bring her the requested tequila in order to please it's potential new friend. It swims back and she quirks an eyebrow for a second. ]
Think they'd bring glasses? [ She's not a bottle drinker okay! She frowns as she thinks more about the entire situation. ]
People they seem to be trying to bribe with gifts. [ That really is just sad. She kneels down and gives the little shark a hug, which seems to absolutely thrill it. It snuggles up and she pats it as she stands back up. ] You need to find a better way to make friends. People you buy aren't going to stick around. [ Lecturing a magical shark. That'll get her places. ]
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[She says with an awkward chuckle. Is this girl talking about real witches? Because Dee doesn't think she ever wants to meet a witch. She knows she'll say the wrong thing to one and then get turned into an actual bird because that's the kind of luck she has. Then if the guys find their way to this magical hellhole, they'll find the witch and congratulate them on making the stupid bird joke even funnier.
Dee doesn't even consider glasses. She was planning on drinking the tequila straight out of the bottle.]
Eh. We can get glasses. [She'll wait for her shark to come back.]
No, they won't, little bud. Only time they'll come back is when they want something!
[Like Dee can talk. She takes advantage of people's kindness all the damn time. Also, goddamn, she is talking to a shark. What has her life become?]
I've seen it happen! Tale as old as time.
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[ Some of the are awful and terrifying, but isn't that the case for most people? It was kind of weird that the supernatural world seemed to be almost exactly the same as the regular human world. ]
I mean we don't need glasses. [ Now she feels just a bit awkward and bad. Her own shark looked up at her and then over at Dee as they spoke as if it might be understanding somehow. ]
See, everyone gets it. You're just going to get "friends" [ she uses air quotes ] that only show up when they want you to go get them something.
[ And just as she thought maybe she was getting trough to him, he swam off, probably to try to fetch some glasses. ]
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She smiles and nods.]
That... must be nice! Having a witch friend! [She comments, a little too enthusiastically, as she catches a glimpse of her shark bringing her that bottle of tequila. Dee reaches for it with both hands, snatches it up, but flinches when the shark tries to bump her hand with its nose. The shark seems saddened by her reaction.
She cracks the bottle open, takes a swig straight from the bottle, and nods in response to Elena's advice.
And then the shark swims off.]
Oh no, little buddy. What are you doing? [Dee calls out to him, but off he goes...] Goddamn, I don't think we can get through to these guys. This is really sad. I am sad for these guys. Imagine wanting friends that badly?
[Says the woman who is constantly striving for acceptance, love, and admiration. Dee has done a lot of things to try and get people to like her, but it normally blows up in her face. She hates that she can relate to these sharks.]
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It's just great having her as a friend in general. But yeah, I don't know what I would have done without her being a witch. [ Never been able to go out into the sun again unless they'd found another witch around. Which sounds far from ideal. She was insanely lucky.
Elena's own shark comes back happily with...two giant mugs that were clearly more suited for coffee than alcohol. Oh. Well. He's trying!!! ]
Thank you, little guy. We...uh, appreciate it! [ she looks to Dee and then shrugs, setting one of the mugs down. ] I think she's good without the mug but...[ She's going to feel too bad if she doesn't use it, so she pours some bourbon into the giant mug, and then takes a huge drink from it. That feels slightly better. She pats him on the head and he snuggles up to her. ]
I think you're right that we're not getting through though...[ And she feels awful for it. ] I wonder how much attention it's going to take to satisfy them? Maybe if we reassure them we're friends now? [ If they're that desperate they probably won't even believe that. ]
no subject
Then she snorts and shakes her head, as though Elena just said something hilarious.]
Yeahhhh, these guys could get all the attention in the world, and still not be satisfied. They need constant reassurance that they're doing good enough.
[Is she talking about herself or the sharks? She doesn't elaborate, of course, but she does feel increasingly self-conscious. God, she hates it.]
I don't think they're ever going to believe us if we tell them we're friends. They'll still try "topping up" the friendship with gifts and gestures. I-It's... really pathetic.
[She just has to throw that in, to show that she thinks it's all very stupid and to also indicate that she's nothing like these sad, sad, pathetic sharks. Because she isn't. She isn't, right? She's never, ever done outlandish things, or participated in awful schemes to win the approval of awful people. Nope. Never.]
no subject
There really were a lot of questions here. ]
I've known a few people like that. Wonder if they'd get along or if it'd just cause too much vying for attention.
[ She smiles lightly thinking of a specific friend from her home. Not a bad person, but definitely someone that might share some traits with tis shark. ]
Pathetic seems kind of mean to say. I mean it's not...[ entirely untrue. But she looks down at her shark who now looks utterly defeated and she can't bring herself to say that. ] They're doing their best I think. Maybe something happened to them all that's caused this?
cw: mention of animal harm/death
Oh, yeah. They'd probably compete against each other to see who can get the most attention, and eventually, they'd need to be separated.
[Just throw them into separate rooms. They'll never be able to get along. Or so she thinks. She screws her nose up a little. Is pathetic kind of mean to say? She's never really thought about that; it seems like an appropriate word to her, so how could it be mean?
She looks at her own shark, who is staring up at her as though awaiting new orders. She tells it to get her some cigarettes so she doesn't have to look at the creature's sad, sad face.]
Ohhh, maybe! Maybe someone went magical shark hunting a few too many times, and now the sharks are trying to befriend people to try and stop assholes from... y'know. Murdering them. They might be trying to save themselves!
no subject
She looks down to her shark, still scratching it's head, and it looks down as though it understood what Dee just said. Congrats, the idea of magical shark hunters clearly distresses the poor shark. With it's sad, sad, lonely eyes. ]
Maybe, that sounds awful though. I don't think he likes the theory. I'm not sure I do either, I don't even think the worst monsters I knew back home would be willing to kill one of these. [ And she knew a lot of psychos! ]
no subject
So... this Caroline person's the top dog within your friendship group, huh?
[Looking at the shark, she does note that it looks kind of sad. God, did she just make the shark sadder than it already is? Goddamn.]
It's okay, bud. No one's gonna hurt you. I'm not trying to dredge up any... shark PTSD. You're okay.
[She says, casually, to Elena's shark, and then grimaces a little.]
I mean... I do know of some dickwads who'd try? I wouldn't, personally, but there are a lot of assholes where I'm from.
no subject
Looks like they might be growing on you.
[ Elena grins slightly at Dee's attempt to comfort the sharks. They wear people down eventually! ]
Huh, really? You might know bigger dickwads than me then. Not even sure if the crazy hybrid I know would kill this little guy.
no subject
She doesn't even consider that the sharks might be growing on her until it's pointed out. She shrugs it off and gives a casual shake of the head. She refuses to admit it, but Elena is correct. Dee's shark returns with cigarettes -- it occurs to her that she forgot to ask for a light, but that's... fine. She carefully reaches out to pat the creature's head, while flashing a baffled look at Elena?]
Hybrid? Like a... half-human, half...? [She doesn't know. Half-merperson? Half-troll? She still needs to get used to this fantasy stuff.]
no subject
No, half vampire, half werewolf. [ He'd be way easier to deal with if he was half human half something else. Alas, he had to be half-werewolf too. And over 1000 years. ] The Original Hybrid too. [ Original's said with an inflection that indicates it's also something important, more so than just someone with an original unique award winning personality. ]
cw: alcoholism
[Dee blinks a couple of times, and then takes a worryingly long sip from her tequila bottle. She might have to ask her shark friend for an extra bottle before she gets out of here. She thinks she's going to need it.]
Original. Original vampire werewolf. Wow. So if he bites someone, do they become both?
[Yes, that is 100% a serious question. Forgive the idiot, Elena.]
cw: alcoholism
Still, she takes a drink of her own bourbon without too much concern. Vampires need a lot more to get drunk, it's a perk . ]
That's complicated, but the short answer is no. He can turn werewolves into hybrids, but not vampires and not humans. A werewolf bite is one of the few things that can kill a vampire.
cw: alcoholism
[It doesn't seem like she's joking about that either. In fact, she sounds like she's almost proud of the 70 beers thing. She probably... shouldn't be, but she is.]
I feel like a werewolf bite might be bad news for literally everyone. So that is... not surprising to hear. [She clicks her fingers and grins, before taking another sip of tequila.]
Okay. Question. Would you rather be a vampire, a werewolf, or a... [She trails off and glances at her shark, who is staring up at her with big, black, adorable eyes. Goddamnit, she wishes he'd stop looking at her like that.]
....ssshark... person? [What the hell is a shark person? Why would anyone want to be a shark person?]
cw: alcoholism
[ Probably concerned. How did someone handle that and not die? Maybe she's joking. Elena is going to sincerely hope she's joking. ]
Even worse for a vampire. There's hallucinations involved and then a slow very gruesome death by what's basically poison. The only cure is drinking the blood of the hybrid. [ Aka having to ask that jerk for help and hoping he's nice that day. ]
Werewolves can only turn on full moons and turning involves every bone in their body breaking. Hybrids can transform at will but that means starting out being sired to Klaus so, no thanks. [ Big No to sired to Klaus from her. She's genuinely contemplating the next one. ] We'd have to figure out what sharkperson does first. Are they limited to the ocean during fullmoons or called to the sea as the moon starts to go towards full? Turning into a shark seems pretty limiting...
[ She shrugs after a second. ] Guess I'd stick with vampire. I'm almost starting to get used to that one.
no subject
Gross.
She's listening, surprisingly intrigued by what Elena's saying, but then Elena says that she'd stick with vampire, and Dee can't help canting her head. She stares at the woman, but says nothing for a long moment, and it's almost like her own brain has BSODed.]
Hang on a second. Are you telling me you're a vampire?
[Can she please wake up now? This place is too weird.]
no subject
Yeah. It's new to me and not something I wanted but it happened. Usually this is the part we'd compel someone to forget about that [ and that awkwardness has now turned into rambling out too much. Great. She shrugs. ] But it doesn't matter if people know here. [ Everyone's weird here in some way. ]
no subject
This place sure does play by its own rules, doesn't it? [Another quick swig of tequila.] Can't blame you guys for compelling people to forget. I mean, people are dicks. They'd probably try exploiting your vampire powers for their personal gain, and then complaining when it all backfires!
no subject
There aren't many vampires that would let themselves be exploited by a human. [ Exploited by other vampires? That's an entirely different ballgame and seems to just be common place in vampire...society? Is it even really it's own society. Oh who knows. ]
The biggest thing is the concern that they'll assume vampire equals evil thing that has to be hunted. Then the entire town starts to come together to figure out ways to kill them and it becomes a huge mess for centuries.
[ So easier to just compel people to forget and move on! ]
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cw: implied drug use
cw: implied drug use
cw: drug discussion
cw: drug discussion
cw: death discussion
cw: death discussion
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