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

[crimsongirl]

Not unless this thing ate some valuable tech. I don't really know how to use cognitive stuff either.

[With their phones, and stuff like arcades somehow being a thing, it had to be possible there were some kinda machines in here. Just very hard to find through all this ship debris and other such crap; maybe this worm needed some more water to wash some of this down for proper digestion?

Still, Monika needed something to defend herself for now. Homura handed off one of the swords she was using earlier, the fire dying down from it.]

At least take this, unless we can find something in here. Just follow me and I can try to track down those organs.

[Fortunately, her blood magic allowed her to feel blood flowing within beings. It's how she found Monika so fast after all. Though the issue was the darkness and not really knowing the biology of worms; almost wished it was a spider or snake instead.]

[peninhand]

[ Monika took the sword that was offered to her— Oof, that thing is heavy. She stumbles a bit forward but then get a good hold of it. Okay given her lack of experience with fencing, she should probably go for a spin attack if anything occurs.

Let's hope nothing does happen. ]

I think I can do something about the darkness, at least.

[ With her free hand she picked up her phone and... Oh right, she can't really navigate on him with a sword in her other hand. Hm. Maybe it's time to see if she's doing well enough with technomancy. ]

Phone, flashlight and white screen. Maximum brightness on both outputs.

[ And it works! Perhaps a bit too well, because Homura's phone also obeys the command and goes full light mode. ]

Ah jeez, I'm sorry... I'm still not very good at targeting my commands.

[crimsongirl]

[Oh right, phones. Sometimes forgot about those due to lacking one back home; needed more jobs to increase the budget. She took hers out and tried to examine the area.]

Forget about it. Haven't used a phone properly in years, so I tend to forget this stuff.

[Seemed they were most surrounded by a bunch of junk from the broken boats, debris from possible buildings, ground and dirt from earlier, and dead bodies still rotting, including the zombies Homura just cut up. Hard to recall how much there were when the worm got to them.]

Don't suppose you know anything about worm anatomy, do ya? [Mostly so she can just not throw fireballs everywhere.]

[peninhand]

[ Worm anatomy...? Nope. She figured the important organs were likely close to the head, but that was more a logical deduction than proper knowledge. ]

Hmm, nope. But we can probably make a few deductions. [...] Since some worms can survive even if you cut most of its body, anything vital will be closer to the head.

[ If so, they needed to go deeper in. Urgh... It's so icky and sticky all around them, she just wants out and take a bath already. Well, if they get to the head she can think of a way out. By where they entered. Or by the nose. Do worms even have noses? So gross. ]

[crimsongirl]

We'll likely be hit by whatever this bastard chugs down or thrown around more. But I'd rather have a guaranteed kill.

[And hey, if more people ended up eaten, they could be more useful right away. The riskiest plans had the most rewards anyway.]

Okay, game plan is set. Stay close and just call me if there's trouble.

[And with that, she moved towards the head. How did she know? The incoming globs of dirt were a good indicator, thankfully not aimed at them.]

[peninhand]

[ Monika follows along quietly, till they grew near to their target. ]

You know, I just realized, there could be monsters protecting the organs.

[ That was a classic of biological levels in a video game. And hey, while this is not a video game it's still a role playing game there are enough similarities with one in this world to warrant caution. ]

Maybe not even monsters, but like the worms's antibodies or stuff.

[ Given the scale and how everything works on magic here? She's ready to bet on it. ]

[crimsongirl]

Wouldn't be too surprising. Clawed my way out of a giant monster once before, and it had plenty of things to throw at me.

[Admittedly more magical, but the idea was something to consider. So far, nothing but the occasional movements and more dirt coming their way. Ice formed on her arm, and she swatted it away.]

Anyway, if there are, I'll kick their asses. I'm used to this kind of thing.

[Even if her track record for monster slaying from the inside was just one so far.]

[peninhand]

Ahaha, spoken like a true heroine!

[ They were in Avalon after all, where Camelot rested. In legends, this was the realm of heroes... And it made her realize just how far from being a heroine herself she was. That was a tad depressing... With concurrence like that, she'd have a real hard time getting any time at all under the spotlight.

Still, without awareness of the fourth wall and a stupid romantic visual novel being her reality? She didn't feel any resentment. Admiration, if anything, in the same way she had admired her friends for their various qualities prior to, well, her epiphany.

She would continue walking for a while, until she started hearing like a something pulsing. The organs. ]

We must be getting close.

[crimsongirl]

Not really one of those. Just a shinobi for hire, kinda.

[Even if her tasks ended up being more on the heroic side of things; damn dark quests just had to keep going too far. Though as they got closer, she took note....and the increased amount of stuff the worm was devouring. Even some magic had slipped through, fire and ice spells scrapping the inside and leaking blood.

She turned back to Monika, face a bit red. There really was no choice in this, huh?]

Look, we wanna get up there, I'll need to block the incoming magic. So....just grab onto me and I'll launch us upward.

[She had a real problem with people touching her, hence the blush.]

[peninhand]

...?

[ Was that a blush? Monika could say there was something amiss. You didn't blush like that for no reason... But she wasn't going to inquire, not now at any rate. She knew if this was her, she wouldn't want people to try and pry into the things that embarrass her. ]

Okay! Let's do this quick.

[ She immediately grabbed onto her by wrapping her arms around her waist. She figured she'd need both her arms for whatever she was about to, so while this was the most embarrassing option it also was the most logical one. ]

[crimsongirl]

[She tried to suppress the embarrassment, to no avail. Killing people who were assholes? Easy as blinking. Letting someone just touch her or get this close? She wanted to drown in a nearby lake, or burn the person if they were too pervy. Taking a deep breath, the wind focused below her. Suddenly, she and Monika would be propelled upward, kept on a straight path, and able to see the violent shaking of the worm. Must have now gotten more into a fight--

And the straight line had to be deviated, balls of fire suddenly coming at the two. Homura's blades swiped them away, though as the flames grew bigger, she had to use the wind again and again, forced to dodge and try to grab Monika's hands to keep her close.

Yet it all worked, as they hit the ceiling, Homura suddenly thrusting her swords into the worm to keep them steady.]

Fucking hell, I'm gonna punch whoever keeps doing that. You okay?

[peninhand]

[ At the very least, Monika wasn't one of those pervy person. She was very respectful of people's boundaries... So long as she wasn't being overcome by despair. Thankfully, now wasn't such a time. Avalon was her chance to leave her old life, and hopefully despair, behind.

And then she propelled them upward. Oh gosh. She'd never been afraid of heights but today was perhaps the day. She closed her eyes tight, and her grip on Homura would noticeably grow tighter the higher and the faster they went. She didn't see what happened and honestly? She didn't want to see. She was focusing all of her energy on not screaming.

When they finally reached the ceiling and Homura planted her blades there, Monika tentatively opened her eyes. ]

Uh... [No, no she's not okay at all. Oh gosh, she's going to throw up if that continues. She slowly looks down... That's— That's a long way down if she loses her grip.] I-I'm okay.

[ Her panting, how she was trembling and the pace of her heartbeat all indicated she was not okay. ]