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Entry tags:
October & November 2023 Test Drive Meme
October - November 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: Potential nonconsensual physical changes
Tides doesn’t have a farmer’s market. However, it does have a regular artists’ fair. Spirits—and Star Children—can set up stalls to offer art they have already made or to make it right before people. On the spot commissions! It’s a great way to see a wide spread of the art available in Tides, on rare occasions even Jewelia’s own.
Within the artists’ fair is a makers’ square where everyone is invited to join an artist in learning to make some kind of art. It might be painting and wine. Lithography. Embroidery. You name it. Seriously, feel free to put a suggestion in the box of what Star Children would be interested in. The artists leading the space don’t all teach at Jewelia Academy. This could be the only chance to learn from them!
This time it’s making salt water taffy. Spirit Children can learn how to complete the process from start to finish with a bit of an arm workout. If they aren’t interested in or cannot handle the arm workout pulling the taffy, they can help a spirit wherever they’re interested. There is any flavor Spirit Children can imagine to flavor their taffy, even ones only found in their home worlds. Share a little culture!
Star Children may keep up to half of the taffy they make, but the rest will be offered to everyone coming through the makers’ square in the artists’ fair. Perhaps it’ll encourage other Star Children to make their own! Star Children, whether they make taffy or simply take free samples, will find that eating taffy can have an effect on them.
Eating taffy made by Legends will give Star Children color changing eyes that give away their mood, just like Legends. Eating taffy made by Myths will give Star Children horns, claws, or a tail that grows larger when they react more logically and less emotionally. Eating taffy made by Familiars will give Star Children animal features. These effects last from one-six hours.
Eating taffy made by Spirits has no effect at all!
Tides doesn’t have a farmer’s market. However, it does have a regular artists’ fair. Spirits—and Star Children—can set up stalls to offer art they have already made or to make it right before people. On the spot commissions! It’s a great way to see a wide spread of the art available in Tides, on rare occasions even Jewelia’s own.
Within the artists’ fair is a makers’ square where everyone is invited to join an artist in learning to make some kind of art. It might be painting and wine. Lithography. Embroidery. You name it. Seriously, feel free to put a suggestion in the box of what Star Children would be interested in. The artists leading the space don’t all teach at Jewelia Academy. This could be the only chance to learn from them!
This time it’s making salt water taffy. Spirit Children can learn how to complete the process from start to finish with a bit of an arm workout. If they aren’t interested in or cannot handle the arm workout pulling the taffy, they can help a spirit wherever they’re interested. There is any flavor Spirit Children can imagine to flavor their taffy, even ones only found in their home worlds. Share a little culture!
Star Children may keep up to half of the taffy they make, but the rest will be offered to everyone coming through the makers’ square in the artists’ fair. Perhaps it’ll encourage other Star Children to make their own! Star Children, whether they make taffy or simply take free samples, will find that eating taffy can have an effect on them.
Eating taffy made by Legends will give Star Children color changing eyes that give away their mood, just like Legends. Eating taffy made by Myths will give Star Children horns, claws, or a tail that grows larger when they react more logically and less emotionally. Eating taffy made by Familiars will give Star Children animal features. These effects last from one-six hours.
Eating taffy made by Spirits has no effect at all!
🦊 Star Children can attend an artists’ fair and make salt water taffy.
🦊 Eating salt water taffy made by Star Children will give temporary features of that kind of Star Child.
🦊 Eating salt water taffy made by Spirits has no effect.
🦊 Eating salt water taffy made by Star Children will give temporary features of that kind of Star Child.
🦊 Eating salt water taffy made by Spirits has no effect.
Content Warnings: Pocket universe, dungeon castle crawl, forced relocation
One of the many food carts in Tides serves homemade ice cream. The fox spirit serving it promises that it will provide a jolt of inspiration—even to Star Children who cannot eat. Even holding a cone or cup of the ice cream can jolt someone’s imagination, the fox says. It’s free as part of the welcome to Tides, but no one has to accept it, not even to hold. The fox spirit won’t cajole anyone, and Star Children can go along their way.
At least a few hours later, long enough to have forgotten the offer or to get frustrated by the lack of promised inspiration, Star Children fall down down down into a painted, sculpted, sidewalk chalked, or otherwise artistically bent world. They are as artistically made as the rest of the world around them. They match it, as do their one to three companions who arrive with them. They may be friends or strangers. They are compatriots in this strange world.
Whether starting deep in the bowels or high in a tower, this artistic world is that of a castle. A unique castle to each Star Child host. Elements of its design, decor, and mechanisms tie back to a creative endeavor of the host. For the castle is a direct manifestation of whatever project the Star Child host experiences creative block around, whether that’s art or science or anything else. It’s baked into the design. Not only that, the castle is under attack! Dragons or monsters or knights, oh my! Whatever attacks, the very creative idea may crumble if it doesn’t get solved.
Star Children who ate the ice cream will have an easier time shoring up defenses, buying time to think, and even experiencing a breakthrough moment of inspiration. Any companions who ate the ice cream will have an easier time helping the host. Regardless, the only way out is a breakthrough or to see the idea fall to uninspired ruin. Which will it be?
When a group breaks through, they return to Tides with up to four nearly identical dollhouse castles. A miniature doll of one party member will be in each dollhouse. The doll will also have a miniature version of an item from home. Take it from one’s doll, and it becomes lifesize. It may even be a magical item or weapon.
One of the many food carts in Tides serves homemade ice cream. The fox spirit serving it promises that it will provide a jolt of inspiration—even to Star Children who cannot eat. Even holding a cone or cup of the ice cream can jolt someone’s imagination, the fox says. It’s free as part of the welcome to Tides, but no one has to accept it, not even to hold. The fox spirit won’t cajole anyone, and Star Children can go along their way.
At least a few hours later, long enough to have forgotten the offer or to get frustrated by the lack of promised inspiration, Star Children fall down down down into a painted, sculpted, sidewalk chalked, or otherwise artistically bent world. They are as artistically made as the rest of the world around them. They match it, as do their one to three companions who arrive with them. They may be friends or strangers. They are compatriots in this strange world.
Whether starting deep in the bowels or high in a tower, this artistic world is that of a castle. A unique castle to each Star Child host. Elements of its design, decor, and mechanisms tie back to a creative endeavor of the host. For the castle is a direct manifestation of whatever project the Star Child host experiences creative block around, whether that’s art or science or anything else. It’s baked into the design. Not only that, the castle is under attack! Dragons or monsters or knights, oh my! Whatever attacks, the very creative idea may crumble if it doesn’t get solved.
Star Children who ate the ice cream will have an easier time shoring up defenses, buying time to think, and even experiencing a breakthrough moment of inspiration. Any companions who ate the ice cream will have an easier time helping the host. Regardless, the only way out is a breakthrough or to see the idea fall to uninspired ruin. Which will it be?
When a group breaks through, they return to Tides with up to four nearly identical dollhouse castles. A miniature doll of one party member will be in each dollhouse. The doll will also have a miniature version of an item from home. Take it from one’s doll, and it becomes lifesize. It may even be a magical item or weapon.
🦊 Star Children will be offered homemade ice cream by a fox spirit.
🦊 Star Children will be transported into an artistic world set within a castle under attack.
🦊 1-3 other Star Children will join the host.
🦊 Escape by breaking through the host’s creative block.
🦊 Star Children whose groups break through will receive a personal item from home. It may even be a magical item or weapon.
🦊 Star Children will be transported into an artistic world set within a castle under attack.
🦊 1-3 other Star Children will join the host.
🦊 Escape by breaking through the host’s creative block.
🦊 Star Children whose groups break through will receive a personal item from home. It may even be a magical item or weapon.
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I forgive you. It runs through his head over and over again. I forgive you I forgive you I forgive you I forgive
He scowls, puts a hand up. ]
Don’t. It’s not your problem. I can figure things out for myself.
[ He shifts, turns, not sure where he’s going or what he’s doing but - he’s not sure if he can stay standing here, listening to Aziraphale being… well, himself. ]
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Crowley would always be his problem, a good deal more than a 'problem', even if he claimed not to be. ]
I'm...
[ I'm sorry? I love you? Some how those sorts of sentiments didn't feel appropriate, not right now when there was so much else going on. ]
I'm still going to try to speak to the fox anyway. As you said...
[ He made an attempt to sound cheery which failed rather miserably for he was not the greatest actor. ]
I do have to get back. Lot's of work to do back Upstairs.
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[ Because, despite everything, Crowley still sort of has faith in him. He steps away. One, two, three steps. ]
Don't wait up for me.
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We could go together?
[ His voice took on a hopeful note that never quite glossed over the nerves. ]
To see the fox I mean.
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Aziraphale had made it clear, though. That’s not important enough to him when Heaven comes knocking. Not with Crowley in his current state, at least.
But now he’s asking. And fuck, Crowley wants it. Even if the only thing he sees in Crowley is a pathetic, fallen angel who needs his forgiveness - better than not having Aziraphale at all, right?
And he’s never been able to deny Aziraphale anything. ]
Ffffine.
[ Crowley makes a show, of sighing, of being annoyed, of making sure that Aziraphale knows that this does not mean they are okay, that they are not friends again. ]
Somehow, I doubt the fox will just… send you back. But if you really want to try…
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Oh good!
[ Almost giddily he found himself right by Crowley's side. ]
I think if we just go to the fox and explain the situation, well, then she will have to guide us back to Earth! I'm sure the fox is very reasonable.
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[ It's so stupidly easy, to fall back into their usual banter, the old endearment angel nearly drops from his lips before he stops himself.
He can't. Not that, not now. ]
But you'll keep believing that, until you're proven wrong, so. [ He waves a hand vaguely in front of them. ] I s'pose we're going to find her.
[ And nevermind the fact that Crowley isn't entirely sure he wants to go back to Earth right now. Even if the fox is willing. If, somehow, the fox says oh yes there was a mistake, I'll send you both back right now, what will that do for him? Aziraphale will go back to Heaven and Crowley will go back to his plan of getting mind-meltingly drunk and then taking a nap for a few decades, or maybe a few centuries.
But Aziraphale is here, now. Looking hopeful, and pleased that he agreed to go along with him. And, sorry sod that he is, Crowley cannot deny him. At least Crowley knows it won't actually be that easy. So maybe he'll get to keep the angel a little while longer. Even though his heart shatters every time he looks at him. ]
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[ Could she? Honestly the thought had never ever crossed his mind. He had been too taken aback to find Crowley here and so invested in all the feelings and emotions that had dredged up. Even now, smiling as he was like a silly fool, it was difficult not to recall that kiss. He had to remind his hand to remain near his side and not to flutter up to touch his lips or even dare a sidewise glance at Crowley's. That had been a cruel temptation! It shouldn't have happened that way. It had not the loving kiss of a dear friend who was asking their relationship to grow into something even more wonderful, it had been desperate act of temptation meant to pull him away from what he felt was right.
Better to focus on the fox really and pretend all was well. He had forgiven Crowley for that after all. He wasn't the slightest bit still angry or confused about it! Not a bit!
Anyway, yes, this Fox! Its not like this fox would actually like to see the 'Second Coming' that so far had only been hinted about to him in cryptically and rather ominously vague ways. Surely no one who had been to Earth and really spent any time getting to know it would want to see it destroyed? Once all that was explained to her how could she refuse to allow them to return? It would be simple. ]
I'm sure its just a simple misunderstanding and she meant to bring some one else here. Some one who really needed time away from their own world.
[ Not like them. They clearly had everything sorted! ]
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After all those centuries of looking over his shoulder, and then desperately trying to avert the apocalypse, he'd only wanted peace. Peace, and maybe some kind of... something, with the angel. Something that didn't have to be a dirty secret. And then Jim, and then everything else, and - no. No, of course, he's a bloody demon, what did he think was going to happen? Demons don't get nice things. Not even demons who want nothing to do with Hell.
Not that angels have it any better. His mind recoils at the very thought of taking up Aziraphale on that ridiculous offer. He was just in Heaven, and it was even worse than he remembered it being.
He sighs. ]
Sure. Whatever you say. Honest mistake.
[ He knows it's not. Which, again, is a relief, because it'll save him the trouble, the pain, of having to explain to Aziraphale that, no, actually, he probably will stick around here for a bit. You go on, then. ]
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[ Aziraphale agreed with only a slight glance at Crowley as he puzzled over the level of sarcasm he had heard there.
It was in Crowley's nature to often see the darker side of things but it never once crossed the angel's mind that they wouldn't be leaving here together... at least as far as Earth. Crowley always rejected Heaven and the idea of forgiveness as if he never thought himself worthy of it. He was! And Aziraphale so very much wished to share all of that with him. It was unfortunately something they never had been able to find the middle ground on. ]
Right, so. All we have to do is discover where the Fox has gone. I thought I saw her ducking into that bush over there a moment ago?
[ Finding the fox might have been a little more difficult than he imagined. ]
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[ He follows, though. He always follows Aziraphale. Falls into step beside him, like always, hands shoved in his pockets. ]
I'm - sorry. That... you ended up here.
[ What the fuck is he saying? Trying to make the angel feel better? ]
I know... how excited you were. For your new job.
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I suppose I was excited for it, at least the possibility of it. The chance to do something good and set Heaven back on the path it was meant to be on... Something we could have done together, officially, not under the table.
[ Aziraphale tried to skirt around Crowley's rejection of the idea for he could already feel his hand beginning to quiver. ]
Anyway I'm sure our being here is temporary. I'll be able to go back to Heaven to do what needs to be done, you can return to Earth, and everything will work itself out.
[ Which he said as much to reassure himself as he did his friend for this wasn't really feeling like an 'everything works out' sort of situation, not with the way things still felt awkward around Crowley. ]
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In that way, he is truly a demon. He hates Heaven and everyone in it with all of his being. He'd burn it all down if he could, Heaven and Hell both.
But he knows now, Aziraphale doesn't agree. If he says that to Aziraphale, he'd get a sad, disappointed look. Or worse. So he doesn't say it. Just. Swallows it down. ]
Looks like it's some sort of market day.
[ He waves vaguely at the scene unfolding before them as they step into the square. ]
Just your scene, huh.
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Oh, cocoa! We could have a cup before trying to find the fox?
[ Maybe two? He looked to Crowley expectantly and only then did he hand drift away and the fond gesture covered with idle small talk. ]
What do you suppose they use for currency here? Maybe we could miracle some up.
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Probably this spoon we got.
[ If it comes out a little choked, he doesn’t expect Aziraphale to acknowledge it. He holds out his spoon, which is silver and has a serpent twined along the handle. ]
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[ He hadn't as yet seen a spoon like that one but Crowley's showing his off... with the appropriate little serpent curled around it, of course. It sent the angel patting around his person until he found a similar spoon only his held a more angelic wing-like motif.
Aziraphale held the thing in his hand but it didn't really matter now. He looked at it without really seeing the spoon. ]
Crowley this is ridiculous. We can't really go on this way.
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[ Crowley makes a sound of - well, pain. But that's just how it is, now. Every moment, with or without the angel near, is pain. Aziraphale is right, but he wanted to keep pretending otherwise, if only for a little while. ]
Yeah, well. Like you said. You need to get back.
[ So. That'll solve it. ]
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[ He clarified and only after saying those words this time did it begin to dawn on him that maybe Crowley was considering an alternate plan. His voice choked up a little on the words and grew ever so much softer until it was almost a whisper. ]
Unless... you were thinking about staying here?
[ Crowley always had wanted to get away from both Heaven, Hell, and their influences. Maybe he saw this journey with the fox as the means to do that? It stung though to think of an Earth without Crowley on it. ]
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Might do. What does it matter to you? Upstairs'll keep you busy. I'm not the one with the big important job to get back to.
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Yes, I have...
[ His voice held a clear haughty edge to it. ]
And you aren't making that any easier. I've lost count just how many times you've brought that up now.
[ Aziraphale drew in a sigh as he didn't really want to be harsh. This had been difficult for the both of them and he couldn't say when or if things might return to normal for them. ]
I know you don't care for my decision but you could still trust me?
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I don't think I can anymore.
[ He admits that quietly, his voice rough. He wasn't planning to do this - not here, maybe not ever. But Aziraphale asked. ]
I thought - we were on our own side. But we never were. You're running back to them the first chance you get. That's all you ever really wanted, isn't it? I thought you were different. But you're not. I thought a lot of things, started to hope for things I used to never think could happen, but. I was wrong.
So no, I can't - trust you.
no subject
Well...
[ He took a hesitant step away. ]
I tried to get you to come with me Crowley, I still want you to come with me! But, if that is the way you feel...
[ The angel fidgeted and only managed to prevent himself from losing control completely by shoving that spoon he had been holding roughly back into a pocket and turning so that Crowley's beacon-like eyes could only pierce his back. Aziraphale couldn't bare to look into those hurt and accusatory shades not when he himself was feeling shattered. ]
If you do decide to stay... Might be for the best really.
[ It didn't feel like it would be for the best but at least Crowley would be out of harm's way here. Surely the Metatron's influence couldn't reach all the way out here. If Crowley would be safe then maybe he could still do what needed to be done. ]
no subject
[ He says that simply, tonelessly. ]
That's all I am to you. Fallen.
[ And that's really what hurts the most. He thought, of all beings in the universe, Aziraphale understood and accepted him. Learning that wasn't true, that Aziraphale thinks he can or should be an angel again - as if that's all he should aspire to, as if the only way they can really be together is if Crowley becomes unfallen somehow... It rips his heart to shreds. The heart Aziraphale must not think he has, because he's a bloody demon. ]
no subject
Is that what you think?
Crowley...
[ But maybe he shouldn't explain? He cast a look around them, in case the walls or the ducks should happen to have ears, but of course those people milling about in the market were completely oblivious to anything but the buying of bread and their own little interactions so they weren't paying the slightest bit of attention to the drama playing out behind them. ]
That wasn't the reason I told you of the Metatron's offer.
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[ Crowley is yelling now, practically, and he's definitely ready for this to be over. Again. ]
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