August & September 2023 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

August & September 2023 TDM

Introduction

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This Test Drive meme is open to all.
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.

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.

[ Prompt One ★ Prompt Two]

Oh How Quiet . ★

Content Warnings: Difficulty seeing, possibility of drowning, forced relocation

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.

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 Will or the Wisp

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.

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.

A Magical Day

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.

Christening Ceremony . ★

Content Warnings: Possibility of drowning, fetch quests

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.

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.

Flotilla Afterparty

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.

Comments

[lilscarab]

Yeah.. yeah fine now. [She's absolutely drenched and her curls hang heavy in her face, at first obscuring her view of her savior, though his voice-- No way, she brushes some of her waterlogged hair from her face and looks at him. Yep. That's Tony Stark, savior of the universe or whatever people were spouting when the man died. But he.. he seems quite alive right now.

What is going on here?

But she is quickly distracted by how he calls her a Myth, her hand going up to touch the horns on her head. She kept hoping if she ignored them they would stop existing but it seems she can't ignore them any longer if someone else sees them. ]

Pretty sure that makes us what? Morally evil or something? [She lifts a disbelieving eyebrow as she catches her breath, because that's what the fox eluded to when she explained everything.. well most things. There's the slightest lisp to her words as her tongue tries to get used to the fangs.]

[ironypoisoned]

Yeah. [ It's a scoff more than a word. He taps his arc reactor, the gauntlet disappearing into nothing, putting his scarred right hand on display. ] Somethin' like that.

Everyone keeps telling me that's not true, but- [ Tony smirks, showing off a fang, his voice dropping down to a conspiratorial whisper. ] I think you and I both know there's a little moral ambiguity happening here. [ He gestures, pointing at her and then himself a few times in rapid succession. ]

Still, I think I prefer "self-interested" to evil. [ Well. Maybe a little evil. As a treat.

He sticks his hand out a second later, to introduce himself. ] Tony. Stark if that means anything. [ He's gotten used to giving that introduction. Tony gives her a solid once over finally, and besides looking waterlogged- ] ...Which I'm guessing it does, because you look like you've seen a ghost.

[lilscarab]

[The reactor, the gauntlet, even if if the latter has vanished, well, she's not wrong in who she thinks this is. Even without that proof positive it's impossible to not know Tony Stark's face after all the man has done, all the superheroing and nonsense before that. Afterall, she grew up awfully close to the middle east.

She huffs an amused scoff at his antics.] I can definitely see self-interested. Maybe some some moral ambiguous robin hooding.

[It makes her feel a little better about being cast as "evil" since she would say she's not, she's quite the opposite in her book, but she can see maybe where her morals and interests might have slid into the more selfish area..Great.

Taking his hand in a shake.] Layla El-Faouly and yeah, it does. I'm from... I guess your future? Is that how it works here or are you a zombie?

[ironypoisoned]

Haven't had a craving for anyone's headcheese just yet, so I think I'm from your past. [ A beat. Just like Clint, then. He was the only Avenger who was able to tell Tony he really succeeded, and even though he found out his final fate, it was worth it to know that Thanos was gone. ] Nice to meet you, Miss El-Faouly.

[ Tony, being Tony, is already wracking his brain trying to figure out which chunk of the Arab world Layla's from. Given the name, he's guessing North Africa? Probably at least something on the Mediterranean. ] There's a few of you from my future. The Parent Trap twins, an old intern of mine, The Scarlet Witch... [ He counts all four of them on his fingers. He is technically missing someone from his future, but he's also not in the mood to delve into The Bucky Drama with a stranger. ] I think you'd like the British twin, very into history.

[lilscarab]

A pleasure, Mr. Stark. [He was the savior of the world as people told it, and a lot of people did, so she was keen to believe it. Then he goes on listing people that make no sense to her, well other than Scarlet Witch, that's a name she's heard before.

She wonders if Marc and Steven are here or if she's alone. Well.. alone in the sense of people she knows. Stark is from home but she's never known the man. She thinks to ask but chooses not to.]

Well, good to know there are a few of us from the same world, hate to be the only one. [the fox said people from all over and aliens are known to exist so she thinks that, not entirely new universes.] And depends on the history, but I'm sure I'll become acquainted.

[ironypoisoned]

The one I'm thinking of seems pretty laser-focused on Egypt, but- [ He shrugs. ] Ask people about their worlds, they're eager to talk; you'll learn a lot.

There's a universe out there where aliens are known to exist, but they've never invaded Earth, if you can believe that. [ A beat. ] And so many places with magic. I learned how to summon a little... Thing. Using math.

You'll find a way to occupy your time, is my point. [ He chuckles. ] Y'know, besides looking in the mirror at your new headgear wondering how this could've happened. [ Tony says that with a smirk, like he's been there and knows well. ]

[lilscarab]

[Steven's name is on her lips when he mentions Egypt, but he moves on fast enough that the thought becomes lost to her and she merely wonders if the man is here too. But he's not a twin. Unless Marc was hiding more from her. Strange. Surely there are many British people into Egypt in the world, not just Steven.

Taking off her jacket, she wrings it out while he rambles.]

Universes? Like more than just our own? [Her eyebrows go up in surprise, because while theorized that there could be parallel universes or the like, she's not really considered it entirely real.]

I didn't just get whisked away by some alien to another world? Who gives people horns for fun, but to a like... nexus of multiple universes? [She half wants to reach up and touch the new weight to her head but doesn't.]

[ironypoisoned]

Way more than just our own. [ Tony confirms. ] You'll find places that are completely different times from us, completely different planets, completely different galaxies even. [ A beat. ] And most of 'em? Haven't even heard of me. [ Another beat. ] Or Thanos, for that matter.

But there's a couple points in that nexus that link up to our universe, or similar enough ones. Like uh- [ Example, example, example... Tony snaps his fingers when he thinks of one. Winces immediately after with a: ] Sorry. Habit. Should stop doing that. [ A quick beat, and then he's back on his bullshit. ] There's a non-serumed Cap runnin' around.

Well. Not Cap exactly; that one's just Steve.

[lilscarab]

[There's a small shudder at the mention of Thanos, of course she knows that name, how could she not after what he did. She survived the snap, but that doesn't make it easier to feel comfortable with. It was having Marc at that time that kept her feeling sane.

She can't helped her owl eyed blink at the idea that there are so many universes, that things can be connected in such a way. It's more than just worlds in a universe but even parallel ones, alternate ones from what Stark describes.]

Universes that are connected, ones that are not... Here I thought our world was crazy with it's alien gods and superheroes. [She reaches up to wring out some of her sopping wet curls]

[ironypoisoned]

Trust me, Layla - can I call you Layla? - It only gets weirder from here.

[ And goddamn everything does he mean that.

Tony suppresses a snicker as a torrential downpour comes out of her hair. ] Here- [ He shrugs off the black hoodie he's wearing, and hands it off to her. ] Not quite a towel, but- Figured it would at least help a little. [ A beat. ] You can't imagine how many times I've had to do this with Thor.

[lilscarab]

You can, yeah. Mind if I call you Tony then? [If he wants to be on first name basis, then let them be on first name basis. Though she feels weird to be on first name basis with Tony Stark, but you know what, when in Rome.

Especially if she's using the man's hoodie to dry her hair.

Which she does, she takes it with a thanks and just goes for it, using it to crimp the water from her soggy curls. She can't stop the laugh.] Man has so much hair, I'm not surprised. Is it as beautiful in person as it is on TV?

[ironypoisoned]

'Course. [ As far as Tony was concerned, everyone from his universe is an Avenger now. They were all teaming up to make sure everyone got to survive this place exactly how they chose to. Whether that meant staying and enjoying the simple day to day, or trying to find a way back home.

So. Sure. First name basis with everyone made sense.

So did the hoodie-turned-towel. ]

What can I possibly say about Thor's hair that hasn't been said? It's shiny, it's luscious, it's soft- And it smells like honey. [ Tony inhales sharply through his nose, as if to emphasize the point.

A beat. ] That was weird to admit.

[lilscarab]

[Good, it seems they are on the same page because she would feel weird calling him "Stark" while using his hoodie as a towel. Which she still uses to squeeze the water from her hair. ]

Honey? Hmm. [She thinks about it for a second, breathing in herself. Hair that smells like honey sounds wonderful.

But then again she is a scent based person, she knows what her husband smells like afterall.]

Honestly, sounds pretty nice. It always looked so luscious on the TV.