The soft LARP weapons I'm accustomed to have an outer layer of soft closed-cell foam, typically polyethylene ("pool noodles"). They don't have a further decorative covering outside of that.

I don't have a lot of expertise here, but I wonder something about the references you're working from. I suspect there are lots of LARP people who make forceful hits with their weapons, and don't care if they look pretty; and lots of theater people who want their weapons to look pretty, but avoid making full-force hits with them. (And theater people who want both, but use rigid weapons that are only safely suitable for hitting other weapons, not for hitting people.) I don't know if "soft foam weapon that remains visually attractive through multiple solid hits" is a common angle.

A friend of mine, who DMs regularly, has become (in)famous for his dramatic pre-session recaps. It has become a running joke -- you can get him or any of his players to burst out laughing, just by yelling "TO! RE! CAP!", as though trying desperately to corral your players away from dinner to start the session. It really brings a lot of energy to the start of sessions!

We lost an entire Boeing 777 in the ocean in 2014: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_Airlines_Flight_370 . It's never been found despite extensive search efforts. So I would say it's a no-brainer that your meteor could remain lost in the real world, pretty much indefinitely. In a fantasy world, it entirely depends on what means of searching exist there, that we don't have here; and what properties the object has that would make it hard to find with them.

@RGregStacey Not to diagnose someone secondhand over the internet from a single remark... but is it possible your player has ADHD? She reminds me of, well, me. I got a lot better at sitting still for the whole duration of an RPG session after I was diagnosed (at 35!)