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Entry tags:
August & September 2023 Test Drive Meme
August & September 2023 TDM
Introduction
Welcome to Folkmore's bimonthly 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: Difficulty seeing, possibility of drowning, forced relocation
Fog & Footsteps
Fog & Footsteps
Some Star Children find themselves on land. The air is foggy and damp, blurring and distorting vision making it difficult to tell where they are, what’s real and what isn’t until–finally–Star Children find themselves on wet sand. Continue marching forward and trees begin to form a skeletal border, dark shadows growing and stretching further into their depths. Star Children who have experienced being exiled before can feel a path through the trees should they choose to venture further. Star Children who haven’t been exiled can feel resentment building around them and have greater difficulty navigating the path ahead.The Will or the Wisp
Anyone who glances back may find footsteps in the sand alongside theirs. The more anyone looks back, the more prints appear. They’re inconsistent like their maker hops or flies part of the time or fades in and out of the physical universe… or something else. They may be human, or animal, or something Star Children can’t quite put a name to.
The longer Star Children dwell on them, the more tempting they are to follow—familiarity, comfort, curiosity, something. The footsteps eventually lead Star Children down a branching path toward a wall of thick, colorless fog. Inside the fog, there are enchanting wisps of light dancing just out of reach, urging Star Children to keep following. Just a little further, the sweet voices promise.A Magical Day
Continue onward and soon outlines appear in the mist, showing just who (or what) the earlier footsteps belong to–distorted human or animal shapes that exist only where fog is displaced by the will-o’-the-wisps they carry like lanterns. They lure Star Children deeper into Exile, all the while making promises they have no intention of keeping...
Salvation comes in the form of a fellow Star Child guided toward someone in distress by shifting sands. They radiate starlight that pierces through the thick fog around them, allowing people to find the sandy forest path toward The Beach. Once Star Children reach it, they will both find an old, sea-battered treasure chest which offers characters a personal item from home and either a nonfunctional compass or lantern. A will-o-the-wisp will fly directly into the item, which doesn’t seem to make it work. The compass needle points toward somewhere in Exile, not north. The lantern doesn’t light up. However, when the Star Child is truly lost, the compass will point where they need to go and the lantern will light up any darkness. Each Star Child can only receive either the compass or the lantern.
Whether passing directly through the forest path or guided back to it, Star Children find a shoreline extending in either direction. Some water laps against the beach, but farther out is the long expanse of tenuous reality. Come September, it fades into the distance until it can no longer be seen. The beach itself is in Exile, heavy with the weight of magic. It feels reassuring and encouraging. Star Children can indulge in a sunless day at the beach, playing in the sand, and soaking in the magic. Those wishing for a bit more warmth can explore the shoreline north to the Boat Bonanza at the port where the Encantado reaches the ocean.Key Points:
🦊 Star Children may pass through a thick fog to reach a wet, sandy path that passes through trees and leads to The Beach in Exile.
🦊 If they keep looking behind them on the path they will find footprints following alongside their own. Those footprints will try luring characters deep into fog using will-o’-the-wisp lanterns, leading them into the swamp so they can drown them.
🦊 A fellow Star Child can act as a light to guide lost characters back to the safety of shore.
🦊 Star Children that are rescued from the lure or who rescue another Star Child will be rewarded with a non-weapon memento from home and either a compass or a lantern (not both).
🦊 Star Children that don’t succumb will simply continue forward to The Beach without issue and will have opportunities to find a non-personal item from their home worlds being sold at the market. See below.
🦊 If they keep looking behind them on the path they will find footprints following alongside their own. Those footprints will try luring characters deep into fog using will-o’-the-wisp lanterns, leading them into the swamp so they can drown them.
🦊 A fellow Star Child can act as a light to guide lost characters back to the safety of shore.
🦊 Star Children that are rescued from the lure or who rescue another Star Child will be rewarded with a non-weapon memento from home and either a compass or a lantern (not both).
🦊 Star Children that don’t succumb will simply continue forward to The Beach without issue and will have opportunities to find a non-personal item from their home worlds being sold at the market. See below.
Content Warnings: Possibility of drowning, fetch quests
Boat Bonanza
Boat Bonanza
Whether venturing up the coastline from Exile, floating down the Encantado River, or simply being plopped into the water, Star Children new and old find themselves in water. A strong wave rolls up the beach to drag suspecting and unsuspecting alike. Playful pinkish-red dolphins spray people off boats into the river. Or Star Children find themselves treading water deeper than they are tall with no land in sight. No worries, those who need help getting out of the water will get it. Along the shore, spirits in boats will pick up anyone in need of a ride and bring them back through the fog to the sounds of shouts and cheers and music to a large clear spot in the fog.Flotilla Afterparty
Boats come into view. Boats of all shapes and sizes, from single person kayaks to large houseboats, fishing craft and sailboats. They rise and fall with the waves but aren't otherwise moving. Ropes, planks, and bridges tie the boats together. Whether approaching by river or by sea, new boats explore the outskirts of the great conglomeration of boats and attach themselves—increasing the size of the gathered ships. So many boats are gathered that the shore isn't visible from new boats tying up.
Everyone's welcome aboard and to wander from boat to boat. Starfish spirits offer games of chance at low tables on broad open decks under awnings. There are even holes in the bottom of the deck, so players can dip their feet in cool water. A cephalopod band plays upbeat music other spirits and Star Children can dance to in competition with a scavenging of seagull spirits singing sea shanties as loudly as they can two boats over. Far from them, jellyfish spirits offer places to rest in quiet, with curtains drawn and sound dampened. Many spirits offer food and drink—seafood or seafood shaped candy or in the case of mystery flavored taffy, sometimes seafood flavored candy. Those who don't want freshly rolled sushi or take a chance with the candies can always see the Wandering Dog cart on the shore, where the dogs try very hard to be included.
Come September, nymphs pop up in the waters and start shooing the boats away until only the houseboats and some submarines remain. Some go off on their lonesome, but more of them form flotillas that float along the coastline continuing their activities and coming to shore to pick up any who wish to join them. A restaurant flotilla, a meditative flotilla, music performance flotillas, and even gambling flotillas. Should people want off and the boats aren't ready to go to shore, sometimes Catbus shows up, able to leap whatever the distance.Fetchquest
At any time, during the boat festival or smaller flotillas, Star Children may find non-personal items from their home world for sale. It may be a weapon or magical item. These spirits can sense who is from the same world as an item and will only offer them to those Star Children. These aren’t free! After all, these spirits pulled up these items from chests in the water. Star Children will need to do a few favors or barter something else to obtain the item from home. Star Children who help in Vasilisa’s, now mostly staffed by spirits, will find they have an easier time bartering… unless it’s in the Cuttlefish Curiosities shop. If the cuttlefish spirit smells a whiff of the grumpy old octopus spirit who has taken over as chef, that Star Child will have to do twice the work.Key Points:
🦊 Explore your way to Nereid where the Encantado reaches the shore or get dropped into the water.
🦊 Enjoy an enormous boat festival! All kinds of boats! All kinds of activities!
🦊 In September, the boat festival will split into multiple flotillas floating around the shoreline.
🦊 Do favors or barter goods to receive a non-personal item from home. It may be a weapon or magical item. A magical gun from your world? Yes. Your personal magical gun with your dog’s name engraved in it? No.
🦊 Enjoy an enormous boat festival! All kinds of boats! All kinds of activities!
🦊 In September, the boat festival will split into multiple flotillas floating around the shoreline.
🦊 Do favors or barter goods to receive a non-personal item from home. It may be a weapon or magical item. A magical gun from your world? Yes. Your personal magical gun with your dog’s name engraved in it? No.
no subject
That notion is immediately rejected when Ted speaks, and Rebecca frowns at him.]
What a — [wait] Ted, what's wrong with your eyes?
[ARE YOU HAUNTED? ARE YOU FUCKING POSSESSED?]
no subject
Oh, uh – they just, uh, do this now. It's a thing. Makes me feel like a human mood ring, but...
[He blinks, brow furrowing.]
They're blue, aren't they?
no subject
They are. Are you telling me that your eyes change color depending on your mood?
[What the fuck is up with that?
She does let him go, though, or at least lets go of his face so she can take his hands instead (if he'll allow it). She's not quite ready to lose contact.]
no subject
[Kinda awkies, innit?
Rebecca can take his hands. She can keep them, too, if she wants. Ted hasn't felt this grounded in... well, months, and if Rebecca watches she'll see his eyes slowly begin to darken — to a deeper blue, to a dark blue, eventually shifting back to his usual, warm brown. It's a physical manifestation of the calming effect she has on him when she tries, and quite frankly, it's a little embarrassing.
Ted studies her face.]
Lordy, you must be so confused.
no subject
With how strange everything is, at least she can get a rough idea of how Ted is feeling.]
I haven't been this confused since I accidentally ate far too many brownies at one of Elton's parties.
[Ted will get it.]
no subject
It's different, though, with Rebecca. Of course he just went ahead and told her.
He coughs out a laugh.]
Man, the more crumbs you drop, the harder it gets to not try to follow 'em – you ever think about writing a book?
[did he just wink
yes]
Maybe we should sit down.
no subject
Can you imagine? Rupert's lawyers would have my head.
[Not that she wouldn't be telling the truth, but she knows that Rupert would do everything in his power to bury her, if she tried it.]
Are you going to buy me a drink first?
[She's not usually Like That, but Ted has been here longer than her, apparently, so he should have money. She does not have money.]
no subject
Almost.
His face can't do that.]
Duh.
[He turns on his heel to face the bar and beams at the bartender, unfazed.]
Howdy, Mister Starfish. One martini, please.
[What Rebecca will wind up with is this.
And Ted says:] – make that two.
no subject
Once Ted has his drink too, she'll follow him to wherever he wants to go.]
Is it just you?
[She has to ask, has to know who else might be here.]
no subject
[He tries to sound fine about it. He's not fine about it. With Rebecca here, though...
Ted uses his head to indicate a table nearby — both of his hands are occupied by a drink, now — and is quick to put his glasses down so he can be a gentleman and pull out a chair for her.]
Jellyfish bartender didn't faze you, huh?
no subject
If she looks fond about Ted being a gentleman, that's no one's business.]
I'm doing my best not to think too hard about it.
[This is Ted, so she doesn't mind letting him see the slightly unsettled expression that she's sure she's wearing.]
I'll be sure to schedule a nervous breakdown for a few days from now, once everything has sunk in.
[It could be a joke.
It is not a joke.]
no subject
Seems to be the typical timeline, so...
[And then he just looks at her with his warm, normal-again eyes, and doesn't bother fighting the smile that gradually takes over his expression.]
I know this is... weird. And scary. And probably doesn't feel real, but — shoot, I'm glad to see you.
no subject
Yes, yes, and yes.
[It's weird and scary and doesn't feel real, and yet she feels infinitely better for having Ted here, smiling at her like that. She can't imagine how horrible it must have been for him, all alone.
She reaches across the table for his hand.]
I have absolutely no clue what's going on or how I'm going to be at all helpful, but I am here.
[She's his Emotional Support Rebecca.
Which is only fair, since he's absolutely her Emotional Support Ted.]
no subject
I... dunno where to start. I guess – well, I've been here for six, goin' on seven months. I think. And in that time, I've learned that magic's real, monsters are real, aliens are real, psychic stuff's real, superheroes are real...
[Feel free to stop him at any time, Rebecca.]