avalaughs | TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 9

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TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 9

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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

behave like a penguin

Margaritaville Pair Challenge

giant schooner

(Recipe) Hangover Moveover

B ⦿ Surf New Turf

aquatic 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.

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

B ⦿ Of Wards and Worms

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ah, um...

[ Good question! She... Wasn't entirely sure herself. Cognitive magic could influence the minds of things, whilst technomancy gave her control over technology. So one of the two had worked on the broom, but really she'd just focused herself and her intent, hoping for the best. Mayhaps it was time to come with a name for it all? ]

Techno-cognitive magic! [Could be better.] Honestly I'm still kind of practicing it. I was very lucky that it worked.

[ That said, he was spot on as far as the magical girl intent was concerned. She'd even had a few cheesy one-liners in mind. But she figured it was maybe too silly so she'd held back. ]

[Honestly, as a big-time shounen (and a nerd who watches things like that) he would have appreciated the cheesy one-liners and any long-winded and named attacks.]

Techno- Ah! Technomancy and cognative magic? That was an interesting mix of your magic. I've been trying to settle on how I can combine my magic too. It's tricky, but if you can pull it off that easily that makes me feel better for what I'm working on.

[He seems pretty interested! And a little flustered as he realizes how nerdy that all sounds. He quickly goes back to look at the broom.]

Hm- Eh- Maybe we better move in case it wakes up?

Hm-mm! I think combining magics is key to getting the best out of them. [She nods and takes the broom.] And um, yeah, ahaha!

[ They need to find somewhere to put it, there should be a broom closet nearby so she'll head that way... Still, she'd realized how he had (somewhat awkwardly) changed the topic. She knew because she did that all the time, just as awkwardly! Was he embarrassed because he thought his interests would bore her?

Well, she couldn't say just yet. But even if his interests weren't her thing, she didn't want people to be scared of speaking when it came to their passion. Such things needed to be nurtured and encouraged, not ignored and avoided. Thus, she took her sweetest tone to ask: ]

So, what is that thing you are working on, if you don't mind me asking?

[He had changed the topic awkwardly because Izuku is a little bit used to getting told he mumbles or rambles on for long periods of time about things that interest him or he finds fascinating. The habit of a nerd who can take it a little overboard sometimes. And he's trying hard not to mutter on and on to someone who might not want to hear it!

There is a building nearby where the broom had come from they can probably deposit it there. And Izuku is about to reach out to take it by the handle when she asks so nicely about what he'd been talking about and he looks to her with a short blush appearing on his cheeks.]

Eh-? W-well... I've got a strange combination of magic so I've been trying to find the best way to do it but... [...!] I've got alchemy magic which is the ability to transmute and change the atoms of most properties and ... [This is the weird part-] erm- blood magic... Which is about as weird as you might think it is.

[He rubs his green hair.]

I thought that maybe I could adapt the iron content in my blood to use in alchemy to manipulate it easier or something...

[And just like that he starts to mutter off. It's weird, right??]

[ Her smile grew when he started speaking again. That was what she'd hoped to see. After all, that was what her Literature Club had originally been for. A place for people to speak freely and explode their own heart. Of course, the Club was gone... But there was for no reason to not apply that philosophy outside of it.

Blood magic... She hadn't read up on it yet, but she figured it was the ability to control your own blood as a weapon. Perhaps even that of others with training. Well, in either case it was dangerous. You could kill your enemy— Or yourself. Using alchemy to alter your own blood and thus expand the range of your abilities sounded like the logical conclusion.

But she couldn't help but think safety should be the priority. ]

Mhm. Have you thought about trying the other way around? [She rose a finger.] What if you could use alchemy to change regular liquids into blood?

[ That'd provide him with virtually endless supplies of blood, with no risk to his own self. ]

If it worked, you'd be like, totally invincible when fighting next to a river, ahaha!

Wha...

[Izuku hasn't even considered the idea of using other liquids to transmute them into blood. It's a drastic and somewhat horrifying idea (because blood yeah) but it's also incredibly intuitive and logical.]

That's- a really good idea?

[He looks a little shocked and still slightly unsure of himself. Honestly, Izuku has been neglecting his blood magic quite a bit because of the whole concept behind it. But he knows it is powerful magic that he should mastered and use to help people. It's still magic for him to wield. So with that idea...]

Maybe I could try something like that...! It's better than the idea of using someone else's blood. And I'm trying to hurt myself less when it comes to most things- Erm. Never mind that part.

[He quickly pulls out a notebook from his bag and starts to jot down a few things.]

Plus the iron content in blood ... It shouldn't be too hard to transmute the atoms in water if I...

[ Monika beamed upon hearing him call it a good idea. Hopefully this was actually doable in some capacity... She didn't know how alchemy worked. But hey, if you could turn lead into gold, surely turning water into blood wasn't too out there. ]

Ehehe, glad to be of help~!

[ She approached him and looked at his notebook, but without peeking in it. That would be rude. But at the same time, she didn't want him to feel as though it would be bothering her if he spoke of his ideas. ]

Do you want to tell me what your ideas are?

[Alchemy is kind of a "shortcut magic", it has a way of taking an easier route with a lot of things. Need some fire? Make a torch. Need some water? Transmute a plant into steam or liquid. It's really broken so honestly making blood out of water isn't that much of a stretch.

She's really easy to talk to...]

Well, I might have to add some components to it since water isn't made up of the most complex structure. Blood needs... more? So I'd have to add salt or earth to it...?

[Equivalent exchange, as they say.]

But if I could get a handle on the blood then I could use my blood magic to control it. I wanted to use it for a good purpose, though. Like making netting or ways to pin monsters down. And nothing... that's like it's coming out of a horror movie, you know...?

[Sheepish laugh.]

I see... [She nodded.] You'd just have to carry a small pouch of salt with you. Maybe not even that! You'll find earth beneath your feet no matter where you go, ahaha~!

[ It did indeed really sound broken the more and more she thought about it. What about air? Those molecules could be transmuted too. Well, she figured to reach that sort of level, you'd probably need a lot of training... It was interesting all the same though. And she wondered what the limits of it could possibly be. ]

I get what you mean. [So that was what really worried him. Blood itself. Well, it was pretty creepy indeed, but...] You know it it scares you, you can probably even change the color of blood with alchemy. Like, turn it blue and make it sparkle. Nobody would even know it's blood.

[The idea of making the blood change colour or turn blue almost makes him laugh, ducking his head down to snort out a chuckle sheepishly.]

Sparkling blood, why didn't I think of something like that?

[It's just such a off the wall idea but honestly that could work too. The easy going attitude around the topic makes Izuku think that maybe he can start work on his blood magic more often. It's boosting his confidence a bit, that's for sure.]

I hope you don't mind I'm writing all your ideas down in my notebook, ahha... Erm- Sorry... You're good at this.

[She's probably going to be a whiz at her own magic.]

[ It was a really silly idea, so she was glad it made him laugh. And given the sort of things she'd lived through, the mere mention of blood really wasn't a bother. ]

Sure, don't apologize for it, ahaha! I'm glad to be of help.

[ She wished she could become great at her own magic, but she was struggling with it actually. Cognitive magic... Honestly Kinetic magic sounded so much more useful. ]

Honestly this is tempting me to change my primary magic... I can't find too many great uses for cognitive magic.

I've heard cognitive magic is one of the hardest magic types to work with. But I'm guessing with the right work it'll be useful too. What are you having troubles with?

[He's by no means a master at knowing about cognitive magic but it's nice to give back a brainstorm for a brainstorm, right?

Also! He rubs the back of his hair. He should probably introduce himself properly! Don't be so awkward, Izuku!]

Ah...! Oh- I- I forgot, I'm Midoriya Izuku.

Just finding general good uses for it. You can use it for like hypnosis or astral walking, but that's so... Niche? And I don't want to hypnotize people, ahaha! Really, Kinetic Magic would be so much better.

[ Oh gosh, they'd talked so much and not shared their names? Time to rectify that at once! ]

I'm Monika! [She smiled sweetly.] It's nice meeting you.

It's nice to meet you too, Monika-san!

[He's a little pink in the cheeks.]

You did great back there with the spell on the broom, I think you could do great with it if you needed it? Astral walking does sound tricky though...

[Izuku holds his chin in thought.]

Technomancy and Kinetic would be useful, especially if you're trying to work with a lot of technology in one go. I'd imagine you would be able to hack things while moving everything on your own with your kinetic. You wouldn't have to use a keyboard. That sounds ... awesome.

[Tech mages are so cool?]

Yeah! There's so much that can be done with Kinetic and Technomancy together. That'd be really cool, I think. [ ] I'd be like one of those comic heroes, ahaha~!

[ Or anime heroines, to be more specific. She nods in agreement. ]

I think I read I need to wait till the equinoxes and solstices to change though...

[ Something about a special flower that only blooms then? She'd just skimmed over the topic. Two more months... She could probably study the theory of Kinetic Magic till then, so as to not waste too much time ]

[The mention of comic book heroes does have in perking up with some interest.]

Y-yeah! Do- you you read a lot of comics?

[Don't ask a nice girl that, Izuku.]

But- Ah- Yeah! I heard something about that before. I'm not too sure what the details are in changing what kind of magic you have but I heard it's hard to do. If you need help, I am good at finding books in the library or...

[He could probably help her find this flower too!]

[ Surprisingly, she had. Thanks to a certain someone who'd insisted that manga was literature. ]

Mhm, I've read a few mangas. [Mangas, comics— That's the same thing, right?] One of my best friends is crazy about them. I tend to prefer short stories or romantic novels, but every now and then I'd sneak in her collection to read from it, ahaha~!

[ Of course, then she got angry because she assumed Monika was just messing with her collection and purposefully misplacing her mangas... When really she was just clueless when it came to how Natsuki expected them to be ordered. ]

I'd really appreciate it! I'm still struggling understanding how everything works, so finding that flower is gonna be a real trial for me...

Mangas and comics can be really similar! I like getting wrapped up in the stories.

[Oh, a nerd is happy to hear this. He's read his fair share of anime and manga, to be sure!]

I really like comics about heroes or shounen manga with action and rich stories. Ahh... I think I've read a few romance ones too? I should read more of those...!

[Okay, maybe he has snuck a few shoujo and romance mangas in here and there too... He likes the ones with happy good endings.]

Alright, I can start at the library to see what I can find! What do you know so far about the flowers?

I'm not very familiar with those genres... [She paused for a second.] But you could always introduce me to them, if they got mangas around!

[ She wasn't that into them, but she was curious enough to try reading more! It made her think of Natsuki... If she could meet Izuku, they'd sure have a ton of stuff to talk about. It'd be cute to see, but... Much as she wanted it, at the same time she didn't really want for any of her friends to appear in this world.

She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to think about that. ]

Ah um... I read it supposedly blooms only on solstices and equinoxes. So I guess there's not much we can do till September, unless those from the summer solstice are still around.

Y-yeah! Sure, I can lend you a few that I find...!

[It's been a while since he's stuck his nose into actual manga and anime. So, it's kind of nice to have a chance to share? He feels sheepish about it since it's so nerdy but she's so nice! What if he sneaks in a few actual hero comic books too?

Anyway, Izuku holds his chin in thought.]

No, that'd be right. It wouldn't be until the start of Autumn then that we could try looking. There might be some sort of festival going on at the time, Camelot celebrates the seasons that way. But we could ask around if any of this season's flowers are still around.

[ She smiled as he said that— As far as actual hero comic books were concerned? She had zero experience in them. At least she was not as prejudiced against them as she'd been before. Hopefully she'd manage to keep an open mind and not fall back in her old ways... It was so much harder when you didn't have your friends around.

Yet again, he was a new friend, right? Maybe she'd make a lot here. ]

Mhm, so late September... [At least two months and a half stuck with the magic kind she'd been assigned upon arrival then. That sucked. But she wasn't going to complain about it.] Well, if you ever find one lemme know? If not, I'll ask for your help when the festival happens!

I will...! When the festival rolls around. Until then, it probably won't hurt to work on your technomancy.

[Izuku nods, happy to help a new friend. Two months shouldn't be too hard to wait and he is interested in how the whole process works.]

And I should probably work on my blood magic properly one of these days too... Ahah.

[He's just so into his alchemy that his secondary magic has suffered. But it'll probably be fine even if he's not balancing the two... right? Either way, she's really inspired him to try.]

[ She nodded. Technomancy was useful and she could train on it till then... And on his end, he would train with his blood magic. ]

We should meet again in a little while then. I'll show you my technomancy progress, and you'll show me your blood magic progresses.

[ She held her hands in her back and leaned forward. ]

Let's both promise to do our best till then, alright?

[She's really easy to listen to that Izuku can't help but nod with a smile. Just the slightest of a blush on his cheeks.]

Sure, that sounds great! In a little while after we've worked on some magic!

[He clenches his fist ina very shounen fashion.]

Let's do our best! Until next time!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 9

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