TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 9

[avalonmods]

✨ Greet new players on the OOC intro while apps are processed HERE! ✨

{ QUICK NAV } Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary ⚔️️ Top-Levels Only ⚔️️ SUMMARY: New arrivals drop into the lake and have to climb up a cliff to the Rent a Ride, where they are given their device and some headphones and can retrieve their personal materials. There is a small earthquake during this (shaking, some things may fall off of shelves, but no structural damage) that upsets the normal arrival creatures, limiting cliff-falling rescues and sliming the water. They travel to Camelot, which is a multiple day journey, so they stop at the Red Springs along the way and stay at an inn there. A ⦿ Soaking in Your Arrival KERPLUNK, SPLASH! Regardless of what you were in the middle of, you and your familiar have been magically pulled into the world of Avalon just above the Bay's waters. After a brief plunge into the Bay, the rush of water filling your ears and soaking up into every creak and crevice of your body, you may need to cough to clear your airways when you rise above the surface. It's still chilly, but not enough that you can't manage on your own. The Lady of the Lake is swimming around under the water, helping to rescue any wayward travelers who look like they're struggling in the water. This month's helpers are giant pillow jellies, a species of jellyfish that is capable of ballooning itself at the surface to create bouncy pads for characters to hop across to the shore, should they choose or not be able to swim. They come in a variety of bioluminescent colors, but do not seem to be very talkative even to animal magic users. Those who try may find themselves being ignored, even if they hear the jellies talking amongst themselves about this and that. In the middle of the new arrivals, there is a small earthquake that shakes the island and makes the waters choppy. The jellyfish are startled and release a glow-in-the-dark slime that may dye your characters' hair and skin until they can get a proper bath. The Lady of the Lake seems disquieted by the earthquake, but there isn't much to be done about it where they are now besides make sure that everyone is outside of the water as quickly as possible. If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. The shores themselves are littered with new arrivals complaining their way up a staircase carved into the walls of the White Cliffs. There is no railing, so be careful, as the earthquake has scared the cliff beast into hiding, meaning for July's arrivals, there is no safety net. They may need some serious help if a fall occurs! *Reminder: Your character's familiar may or may not be with your character in their initial plunge. If the familiar isn't partial to water, it may meet your character on the beach or sit atop their head while they swim. Or if they are, they might splash about and swim alongside your character. Familiars have different personalities and body specs and we leave those up to the players. B ⦿ The Caravan to Camelot Once everyone is wrangled up to the top of the White Cliffs, the handsome owner of the Rent-a-Ride, Archimedes, will distribute smart phones, sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses, and a pair of ear buds and tell them to "Check the Shit Box." The "Shit Box" refers to wardrobe more formally known as the Wardrobe of Finding, a hammerspace-like wardrobe that opens to each person's items and pets when the person touches the handle. It was enchanted by Merlin to prevent people from having to fish their waterlogged possessions and pets out of the water with them. From there, Archimedes directs everyone to settle in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and gives them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: The rest of the universe is frozen in time and your character has been brought here by a familiar that was able to bond with them. They'll have to learn magic to help save their own world from destruction, but first they've got to get them to Camelot. It is here that you have the first opportunity to decide who they will be in their new home. You'll have about an hour to wander around here, meet and greet, and pet the horses before it's time to go. These carriages use fae technology that combats weight, so your character will be able to get in regardless of whether they're light as a feather or weigh two tons. The carts have air conditioning when it's hot, heating when it's cold, and a mystical shield to protect from bugs. There is also a mini-bar that pops out of the console with nip bottles. Characters can use their smartphones to connect to Camelot's internet service, avalononline (AOL), to chat with other characters, watch dumb videos, learn about the world, contact Camelot Support (they'll answer any questions they can for you, from how to use a smart phone to where to find quests and resources to learn more about your magic). Be careful if you decide to use your phones while in the caravan-- if you don't use those earbuds and start forcing everyone to listen to your nonsense, Archimedes may make you walk. C ⦿ The Red Spring The journey from the White Cliffs to the City of Camelot is a long one, and the first evening you arrive you'll end up spending at the Red Spring, a booming resort town. Because of the volume of new arrivals and vacationers, inn rooms are assigned two-to-a-room. The rooms have two twin beds, a bathroom, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a TV equipped with a couple of entertaining video games and a few free movies. If you don't want to relax in the room, try taking a dip in the spring for another chance to meet your fellow travelers. The waters have restorative properties that help horses and travelers recover quickly when drunk. It is known to relieve stress, improve energy levels, and mildly accelerate healing. It may be a little chilly when you get out though, so make sure you don't slip rushing back indoors when you get out! The springs are also home to a large training grounds just outside town limits, where there are teachers who will teach basic magic safety and help you discover what kind of magic you have together with other new arrivals. Try target practice, obstacle courses, meditation circles, and other ways to try to figure out just what you can do... if you didn't already have an accidental discovery on the ride there. SUMMARY: Camelot throws a carnival to combat the warming up weather featuring "cool" foods and contests, Queen Elphame sent gifts of aquatic mounts to practice in gratitude for the offering and peacemaking with Celliwig, and the clean-up for the carnival goes haywire as cleaning implements magically seek to clean everything. Thankfully, not every minute of Avalon is adventure and trials and rituals. There are moments of respite, and moments to have fun. This July, for example, locals have decided to invite everyone to what they're calling the "Cool Down Carnival"! A ⦿ Cool Carnival, Bruh Vendors of all kinds have taken to selling cooling goods throughout the carnival grounds. Shaved ice, frozen yogurt, gelato, ice cream, iced tea and boba drinks are everywhere, and each and every vendor is vying for the attention of customers. Whether it's coupons for free snacks if they fill out a punch card for all three days of the carnival, or trying out their new, more magical recipes of frozen slush that make you temporarily behave like a penguin and try belly-sliding down a slip-n-slide that's been set up to occupy the unfortunate victims of that slush (It wears off, don't worry.) Perhaps most notably is the Margaritaville Pair Challenge. If you and an acquaintance can down a giant schooner of frozen margarita in less than a minute together, you'll both get a free happy hour item once a day for the next month from the restaurant and they'll do you a solid and teach you (Recipe) Hangover Moveover, a recipe that instantly cures hangovers. The brain freeze caused by downing that much frozen drink is yours to deal with, unfortunately... B ⦿ Surf New Turf In the evening, the fae folk of the carnival crew lead the way to uproot the party off toward the docks near Camelot. The Elphame Traders came back this past month with good tidings from Queen Elphame, who was impressed both with the gift of a ship and the winning over of Celliwig's people. To this end, a second ship was sent with the Elphame Traders to provide a means of transportation to the faery Kingdom of Elphame without passing through the Forest of the Felled: aquatic mounts. However, they aren't exactly easy for anyone who isn't an animal mage and will require practice before anyone can set out. You'll need at least one person to steer and one person to act as a combatant, as the lake north of the arrival point is more than a little treacherous but that will be a journey for another day. (Maybe the 20th? Stuff seems to coincidentally always happen around then, huh... Weird.) For now, the fae who stayed behind from the Elphame Traders this month are sticking around to help you find a partner and an aquatic mount that gets along with the two of you. Most of the creatures who have agreed to be mounts are hanging out alongside he beach near the old docks, so you can go around and check out the different kinds of available mounts: Alpacapies: Cousin to the much more violent water horse fae the Kelpies, Alpacapies have been mistaken for baby loch ness monsters on more than one occasion given their penchant for sitting with just their hump and long neck above the waterline. They can be ridden in the water and tend to bond with people who are polite to them upon greeting. They will assist in combat by spitting water at their enemies or kicking with front legs, but they may shake you off if they need to deep dive to gain speed for an attack. They do not have back legs, only a dolphin-like fin. For some reason, they're really impossible to take photographs of. Mossatees: You're familiar with the mossatee already. A special breed of manatee that grows flowers and moss on its back like a miniature garden. They blossom in the spring, and their backs can be very comfortable. They're a little clumsy and tend to run into things, both accidentally and on purpose, so it may be a bit of a derpy ride if you and your partner choose a mossatee. They also just had a lot of children, so part of riding with them will mean protecting their young on the journey. They're not good in combat and will prioritize defense. Deinosuchus: A Cretaceous crocodile that gets up to about 10 meters long. It's huge and carnivorous and very well could eat you if you piss it off. It is fast, but has to take a lot of breaks. It will also terrorize in a fight. The fae recommend bringing it a goat or some other similarly sized meal to get it on your side if you want to go for this one. This pack is the only one left, transported by fairies to Avalon long, long ago, so you'd better not let them down. Once you've found a mount that seems right, try to practice balancing on its back. They don't much like saddles so that may be a challenge, but if you hold onto your partner it might be easier! Once you're settled, try racing against another pair or going through a Survivor-esque obstacle course with your mounts. C ⦿ Clean Up Chaos As people head out for the second day of practice with their mounts or recover from a crazy carnival experience, things around town... seem a little off. It seems like someone tried some experimental magic after competing in the Margaritaville challenge feeling particularly benevolent. All around Camelot, cleaning utensils have taken on a life of their own. Brooms are sweeping customers right out of restaurants, sponges are scrubbing up dishes and chasing down patrons for the most public sponge baths of their life, and the local woodland creatures are assisting in picking up and taking away anything that touches the floor that ought not to be there. Some are even hopping up on residents to do their hair! Whatever the source is, the only solution is to either destroy or scare the cleaning supplies off to the woods before they take over the whole town! A little magic should help, so why not test out the magic you've been working on since arriving in Avalon? SUMMARY: The earthquake busted some of the Land of Rot wards and zombies are attacking Camelot's farmland. Save the farm, restore the wards, fight a giant worm, and then find a mysterious marsh before getting transported back home just as mysteriously. The earthquake on arrival day was a little frightening, but ultimately didn't seem to cause too much trouble around New Camelot. That is, until a few days later when the farmlands seem to be under attack.. by the undead!? It seems like the wards surrounding the Lands of Rot were disrupted by the earthquake near Camelot's northeast farmland. ' A ⦿ The Farming Dead Step one is to fight the hoard of zombies spilling out into the farm and stop them before they contaminate Camelot's food source. Use whatever means you can to dispense of the undead, keeping the following in mind: death mages are going to be the most effective combatants against the undead, but anyone can follow the basic rules of zombies to clear a path. Loud noises attract their attention, they shamble during the day and can move more quickly during the night, they don't feel pain so if you hurt the they won't be deterred-- you have to kill them, and always double-tap if you aren't sure. Just be careful not to set them on fire. Flaming zombies can spread fires to buildings and other surroundings and are just generally worse than regular zombies! Once the zombies are cleared out, farmworkers will bring out gifts of fresh lemonade and some extra mixed herb seeds they gathered throughout the year. They're still good, please take them as a thanks for helping save the farm! B ⦿ Of Wards and Worms After searching the perimeter of the Land of Rot, sources have found that the wards were damaged on the west side, so the zombies haven't fully penetrated any areas but the farm. Pair up with another person to draw the attention of the zombies away from wards while the other person resets the wards. While doing this, you'll find the earth is rumbling again-- a little heavier this time since you're much closer than back in the Bay of Avalon. Rather suddenly, a huge sinkhole opens up in the desert landscape of the Land of Rot nearby... and out leaps a thousand-toothed worm, flying through the air and diving back toward the ground teeth-first... with your character right in its target location! Maybe you're lucky and get out of the way only to get knocked down by another huge tremor, or maybe you've just been swallowed whole by a giant worm and really, really need to find a way out for you and your partner! Maybe you'll find something interesting while you think... Is that a broken boat in here? Hopefully you find your way out (or.. if you don't, you find someone to resurrect you, but that would really suck if you just arrived!) C ⦿ Wake Me Up Before You're Go-Gone First zombies, then a giant worm... today's been exhausting! And now you're.. somewhere in the middle of the Land of Rot and you seem to have run into some kind of marsh that you don't remember passing on your way in. The water itself is murky and the only creatures around seem to be bugs, bats, snakes, and frogs. Everything seems sickly, rotting, and is pretty awfully stinky. But none of it is quite as terrifying as when you and whoever you wandered into the Land with stumble upon what appears to be some kind of old hag. What happens next? Who knows. She screams and both you and whoever you're with pass out and wake up snuggling in an inn room. You were definitely in that marsh though, because your pants are still sopping from trudging through it... Well, enjoy the panic, maybe interrogate your neighbors, and try to find out where in the Land of Rot you were! It sure doesn't seem to be on the map... What a mystery! MOD NOTES: • All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, but this post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads, but should not top-level comment on this post. • If your application is accepted, you may accept TDM threads as game canon as long as both players consent. Characters may begin threading as soon as their journal is accepted to the communities. •If nothing here tickles your fancy, try one of this month's Quests for your TDM prompt. • The first "Arrival" prompts are present on every TDM, but contain seasonal tweaks for flavor. All other prompts will change monthly. • Questions about this TDM's content? Comment here! If you have a question about the game at-large, please head over to the FAQ.

Comments

Monika || Doki Doki Literature Club || Cognitive Magic/Technomancy (??? Familiar)

[peninhand]

I/ Cool Carnival (The Margaritaville Pair Challenge)
We need to think about this logically.

[ Monika was sitting before the giant glass containing all that Margarita. She was staring at it as if she was evaluating the resistance of an enemy in some kind of J-RPG. She wasn't even sure why she'd accepted this challenge, but if she was to do it, it had to be perfect. She then turned to whoever her partner for the challenge was. ]

If we share it, we'll both be completely out of it by the time it's done and pass out before getting our reward. And even if we manage it, we'll both be in for an absolute hell till the effects clear out. [She rose a finger.] But I think I can drink all of it and survive.

[ It was a matter of just drinking and drinking non-stop without letting her brain the time to process what she was doing. As far as she knew, her resistance to alcohol was laughable. But if she could drink all of it before the effects took over... A sacrifice for victory. ]

You claim the prize and quickly make me a Hangover Moveover, then give it to me before I make an embarrassment out of myself. [She beams.] And we get to have our month of free happy hour item without having to go absolutely delirious!


II/ Clean-Up Chaos
[ Is it time for magic? It's time for magic! And Monika's pretty good at it actually. But unfortunately, one of those creatures or utensils decided to hop onto her head to take care of her hair. ]

H-Hey, don't touch that!

[ Off is the bow holding her hair together. Urgh, that sucks. She can't even do anything about it from her position. So she approaches the nearest person who may be able to do something about it before that thing decides it's faster to cut her hair than to take care of them. ]

Ah, excuse me but could you... [She points at her hair nervously.] Help with that?


III/ Of Wards and Worms
[ Well, that's it. She's dead. Again. Nothing but darkness all around her. Of course, you can't expect for a giant worm to strike at you and survive. Is she back in the digital void...? That's the only explanation, right? Nope, or she'd already feel its effects.

Thinking about it, it's realm warm where she is... Very stinky... And why does it feel like she's walking on some disgusting gooey stuff? Oh no. Oh no no no. Did... That thing swallow her?! She realizes the Pinocchio comparisons with what she is are pretty obvious, but now that's pushing it. ]

H-Hey, is there someone in here?

[ She had to remain calm. Not panic. There had been many of them, surely there were others in there. She couldn't be the only one to have been swallowed, but they could be far... Better scream to make sure she is heard. ]

IS THERE ANYONE HERE?

3

[crimsongirl]

[Unfortunately, Monika wasn't alone. The giant worm had a few special guests. Mainly the zombies being distracted. They started to rise as they heard Monika's voice, drawn to it, making their own presence known with their loud groans. Yet just as they nearly made their way towards her, a figure in the shadows darted around them.

Steel cutting flesh was the only other sound, twin swords swiftly lobbing their heads off, the heads themselves suddenly combusting from the fire the new player cast.

By the time she was done, Monika could likely see more of her, especially as fire erupted from each sword to brighten the area. Homura had been on the scene, though had looked in better shape, given how some of the good got all over her clothes.]

Just me. I think only the two of us got swallowed by that thing.

[peninhand]

[ Oh, right. Zombies. Now is probably a good time to point out the Cognitive Magic/Technomancy Combo is probably one of the worst when it comes to fighting. So she's zombie meat, and then she'll be digested a second time once the worm has digested the zombies. What an end to the Doki Doki Literature Club saga.

Thankfully, someone shows up just in time to save her! Wow, is that what someone who's actually mastered their magic can do? It's still not on the level of what she could do in the game, but definitely more flashy and earning a lot of style points. ]

Oh wow, that was very impressive.

[ She'd said that without really thinking. But now's not the time. Gawking in awe will be for another time. ]

I mean, thank you for the rescue, ahaha! [...] We probably should try to get a way out before it begins its digestive cycle.

[ Though she wondered, was that one of their target too...? From the outside it was too big for them to fight but on the inside, hmm. They could probably take out several of its organs and kill it that way. ]

[crimsongirl]

Probably better if we just kill it from inside. If this thing is moving around, the others are gonna try pounding it. It'll be easier if we tear shit up here.

[Fortunately Homura was thinking along the same line as Monika. Though as she said that, she had to remind herself she didn't know this unknown woman.]

Er, right, forgot to ask. What's your name and magic? I'm Homura and I can use elemental and blood.

[peninhand]

I was just thinking that. [She rose a finger.] If we attack its vital organs, we can probably take it down. It's just a matter of finding them.

[ Oh right, introductions! In spite of their predicament, it was nice knowing who she worked with. ]

I'm Monika, just Monika. It's nice to meet you, in spite of the circumstances. [A pause.] I can use cognitive and technomancy.

[ And now, an awkward laughter. ]

That's not a very useful combo for this task, is it?

iii

[peacewithouttyranny]

[Her scream is heard and Monika will very soon find that she isn't alone, after all. Although the someone she's stuck with may not be human at all. Something glowing and red blips in the darkness first, slowly turning towards Monika's direction and then stops to stare at her. Or at least it seems like the glowing red line is staring at her. She might vaguely make out that the figure is humanoid shape, albeit a huge one as the figure rises up and carefully approaches her.

Even if she's unable to clearly see him in the dark, the mechanical quality voice speaking to her might clue in that he isn't human.]

You. It seems... we were both swallowed.

[peninhand]

[ Oh oh. Oh oh. Of course bad can only be followed by worse. What's this...? She can make the vaguely humanoid shape, but the red glowy eyes? Not reassuring. But then it speaks and sounds friendly. Thank god. But it also sounds robotic. ]

I...

[ For an instant, she looks at the entity with wide eyes, surprised. But...

You know what? She'll take it. They are in the Avalon of Arthurian Legends and it so happens to have TVs and smartphones. She's an AI from a video game who was sentient and aware of her own predicament. She was fighting zombies and got swallowed by a giant worm. A big robot? Yeah, sounds par for the course at this point. She regains her composure rather quickly and nods. ]

... We were. We probably should find a way to out quickly before it starts its digestive process.

[ A monster of this size... Its gastric fluids may very well be like acid, it was dangerous. ]

[peacewithouttyranny]

[Well, that confirmed he really did get swallowed by that giant worm, along with a human girl it sounds like. Seems they were both unfortunate enough to get in its way. His optics are adjusting to the dark by a bit and he notes how small she seems to be. While he's unsure if there are any other threats in here aside from time before its digestion process begins, she doesn't look like she could defend herself. Fortunately for her, his newfound value for humans urges him to protect her and stick close together.]

Agreed. [Thankfully, Soundwave is thinking of an idea.] Its organs are vulnerable. Perhaps... we should destroy it from the inside first before I burst us out of this creature's belly.

Do you have any sort of light source with you? I can't do much too improve my vision in the dark, unfortunately.

[Although Soundwave does have headlights on his chassis, it's unfortunately disabled like most of his functions are.]

[peninhand]

[ Oh thank god, it's really a kind robot. If they had more time, maybe she could mention she's an AI so technically kind of the same sort of entity, but there really wasn't any time. ]

Right. If we can take at least one vital organ out, it should die.

[ Did that mean the inside of that worm was basically the equivalent of a biological dungeon in a video game? Those were always the creepiest. But if it followed a similar logic, they'd want to find the heart of the creature. ]

I think I do. [She takes out her phone. Finding the right settings to get as much light from this would take time... But thankfully, with her magic she didn't have to. She takes a very serious look before speaking. Magic is serious business.] Phone! Flashlight and white screen. Maximum brightness on both outputs.

[ Immediately, the phone's flashlight and screen grew very bright, enough to enlighten their surroundings. A few other sources of light popped up in the distance. Probably phones the worm had swallowed over time and that had responded to her command. That was a failure of her targeting, but it worked in their favor so she wouldn't complain. She could probably keep lighting up their way by using her magic on whatever piece of technology it had swallowed. She immediately let go of her serious expression and beamed. ]

Yay, it worked!

1

[granmaster]

[ gran was accustomed to the presence of alcohol, as some of his crewmates tended to drink while on board. hell, he’s drank some himself and knew it barely affected him. however, all of that in one go was bound to be disastrous.

so when his partner offered to drink it all with the price of making her a hangover moreover, how could he refuse? they both come out winning, and he only had to play the role of support! gran could definitely make this work. ]

Alright, you have yourself a deal. I’ll start prepping the cure as soon as I get it!

[peninhand]

Excellent!

[ She takes the giant glass. What is there in it, one or two litre at most? She just needed to keep her head empty while drinking. Or convince herself it's just water. Auto-suggestion could do miracles! Yuri would have had a field day with that challenge. But she'll prove she can do it too.

Deep breaths. She closed her eyes for a moment, relaxing. Water. It's just water. Don't think about anything else. Eyes on the prize. ]

You better be ready! I don't want to make an embarrassment of myself... [She didn't even want to imagine the stupid things she'd say or do if drunk.] Here we go!

[ With a final deep breath, she begins the challenge and starts drinking from that... Thing. It's kinda impressive to see someone like her manage to down so much of it so quickly. If she continues this pace, she'll be done with a couple seconds to spare. But she's only half the way there. ]

[granmaster]

Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen!

[ gran was given or rather, he coerced the bartender with a smile to give him the recipe for the hangover moreover when his partner reached the halfway point, and he quickly got to work. being a alchemist in this place was turning out to be a lot more helpful than he initially thought, and it was proving true as he finished the hangover moreover in record time.

he looked up at his partner with the saving grace in hand, giving her a thumbs up. ]

Keep going, you’re almost there!!

[peninhand]

[ She continued, continued, continued... Those last few gulps were painful. But with one second left on the clock... She succeeded! There wasn't a drop of that accursed liquid left in the glass. She had drank it all, for better or worse.

... Definitely for worse. With a loud thud, the giant glass fell on the table and so did Monika's head. She remained inert for a moment ]

Ugh... [Everything was so spiny. Her head was both hot and cold. She tried to raise her head, but her forehead hit back the table almost immediately. She very very weakly managed to raise a finger though.] I wooooooooooooooooooooooooon...

[ But what did it cost? ]

ii

[fullgauntlet]

[Izuku has spent a fair few months in this world now so strange occurrences like this are starting to become mainstream to him. It's weird to think that magic and creatures exist like this. But about as weird as anything else he's seen now...

So creatures and utensils bullying people during the carnival? Yeah- he's startled but not entirely surprised... Even as a broom decides to shove him out onto the road where a girl askes him for his help.]

Eh? Ah... Did something pull at your hair? I hope it wasn't a fork...

[He tries to grab at the broom that is still smacking him at the back of his legs. Once he gets the broom to leave him alone...!]

Just a second! I'll try and help!

[peninhand]

Wait, I'll help too...!

[ She wasn't going to let him struggle with that broom on his own. besides if she helped him, he'd be done faster and help her all the more rapidly. But just as she grabs the broom, what is it she hears in her hair? Click click...? ...! ]

Aaaah, I think it's going for the cut!

[ Not her hair! She has absolutely no desire to be short-haired or worse, bald. Not after the delicate maintenance work she's done on it every day for so long. She very panicked try to get the thing out of her hair, but no can do. ]

[fullgauntlet]

Gahh- No!

[It's a bit of a frantic struggle to stop the broom from smacking at him as it's somehow desperately trying to trip him off his feet! But as she grabs it he also tries to leap at her, reaching out to grab the thing from her hair before it can do any damage!]

Leave her-- alone!!

[He grabs it just in time before it can cut off more than a few strands from her long hair! And don't worry he's swiftly pulling it away from her and throwing it to the ground to stop on it. Better safe than sorry!!]

I think I got it...!!

[peninhand]

[ Yay, her hair is saved! Oh gosh, she would have been so devastated if it had managed to cut off all of her hair. She beamed at the boy who had just saved her from the worst possible of fates, minus being sent back to the game she'd come from. ]

My hero!

[ She did a brief polite bow at him before raising a finger. ]

Thank you so much! I think I'd be a miserable little ball of tears and woes right about now if that thing had cut my hair, ahaha!

ii

[corpsewarblade]

Oh you have got to be joking, those things are going after people's hair now? That's like, totally a crime!

[Right okay, Junko's going in to try and swat the thing off- not getting too close if she can avoid it, she doesn't want her own hair getting the snip either!]

[peninhand]

[ Good news: swatting the thing off was successful! Monika lets out a breath of relief, it looks like her hair is going to live another day. It would have really pissed her off to lose her hair. Actually she'd probably have spent a few weeks in bed whining and crying about how the world hates her.

Bad news: the thing that had been in her hair bounces back and falls right on Junko's own hair. It seems being kind in Avalon doesn't pay. ]

Oh no! [If she swings at it the cycle just risks repeating. They needed to end this thing for good.] Wait, I'm gonna try my magic.

[ Cognitive magic, that should do the trick, right? She looked at the thing and said aloud: ]

Get down on the ground!

[ It didn't get down on the ground but it stopped moving. Maybe Junko's hair is safe? ]

[corpsewarblade]

Eek! Get it off, get it off-!

[A somewhat over-exaggerated response, yes, but by the way she was grabbing at her hair, there was at least some genuine panic there- the last thing she wanted was the creature either giving her the snip, or exposing it as a wig.]

Seriously do something-

[Thankfully, the stranger did indeed do something, and the creature froze atop her head.]

...Gross...so gross- it's stopped, right?

[peninhand]

. . .

[ Monika froze on the spot as she saw the creature in her hair. It had stopped, yes. The creature didn't move, alright. But it had two blades, kind similar to a scissor. And they were right on the verge of closing around her twintails. Just a second later, and it would have been bye bye to her hair.

And it could still happen if the thing decided to move again. ]

Ah, d-don't move please! [And don't panic. She could use her own advice.] It's... I'm gonna try to get it off, but like, don't move.

[ She very slowly and delicately approached the young woman and tentatively approached a hand to her hair, where the creature was. D-Did it just move? No, no. Of course not!

Right? So long as the girl remained perfectly still, it'd be fine. ]

II

[apshot]

[ Okay so Bakugou has already been attacked by these things. He's already had to fix his hair from the style that those things and creatures wanted to force upon him. It's disgusting and he doesn't want any part in it. ]

How hell no. You're on your -

[ Oh no. Oh no one's spotted him and suddenly attacking his head again. ]

FUCK!

[peninhand]

[ (Un)fortunately, the one who's suddenly attacking his head is the one who was on Monika's head! On the bright side, that means her problem is now solved. On the down side, that means he is now the one with a problem. Perhaps it recognized him from last time and decided it was more important to finish unfinished business rather than bother a new target?

Regardless, Monika's very grateful for that boy's intervention. Not a conventional method though. Taking someone else's issue onto yourself? That's very brave. She wasn't sure she would do it, she was too selfish for that. Still, thanks were in order. ]

Oh wow, thank you for the help! [Because he had totally purposefully helped her, right?] You sure it's a good idea though?

[ That sudden F-bomb is kinda worrisome. ]

[apshot]

[ Nope. The help had been purely unintentional this time around. He had been wanting to steer clear of those things because they definitely try to gel down and flatten his hair much like Jeanist had attempted. It's not going to work, of course. It'll stay that way for a couple of moments before it springs right back into spikey place.

Only this time? When he catches the comb? ]

Imma 'bout to show these things it's not a good idea.

[ BOOM! ...Sort of. Bakugou can't explode it. But he can burn the thing to cinders with Elemental Magic! ]

[peninhand]

[ Monika's eyes widen at the comb spontaneously combusting. Her first thought is that this was just like some spell you'd see in a video game, but no. Magic was real in this reality. She had to accept it, or else she would never be able to move on.

Still, that's pretty impressive for her to see. Her magic isn't anywhere close to her level. ]

Um, wow. [What if he'd done it while the thing had been in her hair? She feels her stomach turning at the thought.] Just don't do that if you ever find one in my hair, ahaha!