TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 2

[avalonmods]

{ QUICK NAV } Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary 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 chilly 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 paralyzingly cold for a few seconds before you're approached by the Lady of the Lake beneath the water's surface. She puts a vial of a vibrant, glowing red Everwarm* potion to your character's lips. The icy water doesn't feel so icy once consumed and you'll be able to move your limbs enough to swim to shore on your own. She can't stick around to explain, she's got to get this to all the new arrivals! Many of which you'll see plopping in around you. If you can't swim, a handful of helpful ice turtles will scoop you up from beneath and drop you off at the shore. When not helping people, the turtles are going around and hitting the ice that keeps forming on the surface with their shells to keep the surface open for the falling arrivals or pushing personal items to the beach near the new arrivals they smell like (belong to). If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. If anyone with Animal Magic asks the turtles, they will give the full spiel, but very slowly, and they like to get off topic and gossip about other turtles you've never heard of. 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, but if you do fall, be prepared for a mysterious sand hand to reach out of the side of the cliffs to catch you. The hand will pat you atop the head twice before retreating back into the wall. This is the Cliff Beast; despite the name, he is quite friendly. 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, a pair of earbuds, and a winter cloak** to everyone before getting them settled in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and give them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: 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. A ⦿ Trial and Icy Errors Winter has arrived in Avalon, and with it has come to a change in the weather. Puffs of breath precede sentences when outside, small fires fill braziers to allow people to stop and get warm for a moment between where they come from and where they are going. Snow has begun to fall; at first, it is the same, fluffy, white flakes many adventurers will have seen. However, as the day progresses, the snow begins to shimmer; it’s like a prismatic effect, a magical light catching against every little crystal and illuminating sparkling flakes, so vibrant it’s clear someone has enchanted the snow. Shortly after the change, there will be a text alert to all devices: Tired of the same old routine with your magic? Ready for a little something new? Come on out and have an old fashioned snowball fight with a magical twist. Be sure to practice your new powers and have fun! 😉 -Merlin Those who come outside to find the rainbow snow already being packed into neat balls by Camelot's citizens; go ahead and grab a basket full but remember, don’t just toss them. Let’s get magic with it! Different types of magic will have different effects on the enchanted snow: Use kinetic magic to toss three at once. Nevermind if they suddenly balloon inside and burst into a snow shower over your opponent, throw a couple more; some are bound to hit, right? Throw a little animal magic in there and morph a few into a bear or some other animal of your intent; sorry about his random dance attack, at least your opponent will be laughing too hard to throw a snowball at you. Try hiding them in a shield or cast an illusion with some light magic; better apologize when that goes sideways and the snow hardens, bursting into rainbow crystals at your opponent's feet. Team up with someone who has cognitive magic; they can telegraph you the plan without your opponents being any the wiser... except the snow seems to be picking up on it and sending those thoughts right to your opponent! Perhaps use this as an opportunity to learn control! Maybe you want to try using a little wind magic if you’re of the elemental class; watch out for the rainbow snow squall your perfectly lobbed snowballs will become. Healing magic is one you might not see coming-- enchanting a snowball with healing magic can result in positive mood enhancements. Give your enemies a blast of zen to lower their guard and make them an easy target! A dark magic user might think to add a little hex to their snowball; give themselves an edge... too bad, without practice, that hex might be a little too heavy and burst over the maker before it even leaves their hand! Hope you know how to fix it. Alchemists are welcome to change the shape of those snowballs. Maybe try and craft them into something a little more stealthy or projectile. Too bad that snow seems to want to turn into a batch of butterflies and be free... magic sure is tricky! But hey, they sure are pretty. In the end, it seems while adventurers will be able to get plenty of practice in, some of that practice is going to come from trying to stop the side effects of mixing their powers with the magic snow; welcome to your first lesson in control. If one is going to use magic in conjunction with already magically imbued things, they ought to know the right amount, seems Merlin wants you all to learn in a trial by snowball error. Those who practice their magic and participate in the snowball fight will be given hot chocolate, warm soup, fresh baked goods, or other treats to warm them up after their training is done. But don’t slack off! You’re like to find your hot chocolate spiced with pickle flavor, that warm treat suddenly turns to ice cream in your mouth. Avalonians want that practice to happen, and are willing to add some incentive... whether that means the carrot or the icicle. All throughout the City of Camelot is a buzz of excitement about the oncoming winter solstice on the 21st. Citizens will tell you of the winter solstice's importance in cleansing the flow of Avalon's magic each year and absorbing sunlight to increase its potency. In other words, the winter solstice generates a significant amount of magic if the proper ritual is followed, so the visitors from other worlds really should head on over to Albion's White Cliffs. A ⦿ The Darkness in the White Cliffs The first task that you'll experience during the ritual is asking the Cliff Beast's permission to enter the cliffs. Though they look wholly solid on the outside, these cliffs contain a veritable labyrinth of magical caves that weave in and out of the chalky cliffs. As there is danger within these walls, it is recommended no one go alone. The Cliff Beast will only open a door to the caves for parties of two or more who present him with a gift. The gift doesn't need to be something significant, just a show of courtesy-- a lovely rock or a seashell will do, placed at the base of the cliff. The only gifts he will outright reject are precious gems and metals. Honestly, they make him a little nauseous-- and you don't want to see a cliff beast nauseous. In fact, if you try it, the Cliff Beast will suddenly burst into a rockslide right near where the gem was left. Watch out! Once you gain entrance, you will find there is no light within the caves and the door seems to close behind you. Non-magical lights won't illuminate anything within these caves, so you will need to either navigate through the darkness or find a magical means to light your path. Be wary-- traveling in the dark will be a much safer journey if you can find your way through the caves and keep track of your companions. The reason there is no light are the bat-like creatures that eat energy like fire and electricity. With the magical light attracting them and nothing to consume, they'll be very aggressive and swarm anything emitting heat.. like an unsuspecting traveler. Make too much noise, and the Cliff Beast will spit you out back onto the sand and you'll have to start over. B ⦿ "For a greedy man, even his tomb is too small." Those who persist within the caves will eventually come upon a room whose ceiling glistens with bioluminiscent microbes that are too small for the bats to eat. These little glowing creatures create reflections in the room that show just what it contains-- glimmerings of precious gems, gold, and other treasure cover the walls and floor, save for a large flat stone altar in the center. There are many hand-crafted clay cups filled with what appears to be water. The side of the alter has a very simple message: "TAKE ONE CUP TO THE SPRING, LEAVE THE REST. SPILL NO DROP." Sure enough, this matches with the instructions you were given about the ritual: Take a cup of waters harvested by the Asrai, a fairy that lives within the walls of the cliffs that cultivates it every year to bring to the Red Springs for the Winter Solstice. There is no clear warning about what will happen if you take anything besides your one cup. However, characters who disobey this instruction and take any of the riches within the cave will initially experience severe symptoms such as magical blockage, an endless common cold, and food turning to ash in their mouth. They will experience dreams in which they are urged to return the treasure and a day later, advanced symptoms if it goes on for too long have been known to result in vomiting frogs and snakes, insomnia, speaking in tongues despite the translation spell, bleeding from the ears, and eventually death. C ⦿ Drink Up Those who listen and take the Asrai's cups to the Red Springs will notice while carrying the cups, all creatures and threats will leave you in peace. Neither rain nor snow will touch you, parting from your path in both the sky and on the ground. The effects will only last as long as you don't spill a single drop. The ritual can still be completed, but the protections only work if you don't spill-- otherwise you'll be fighting off weather, creatures, other people, and whatever else you encounter as the effects of a spilled cup will cause those around you to try to steal your cup without thought for your safety, even if they might not even think to do normally. Upon arriving at the Red Springs, a party of people there to guide those who have made the ritual's journey to a particular pool within the vicinity of the springs. Characters will be directed to take a sip, then pour the rest into the Spring alongside your peers, finally throwing the clay cup itself into the spring. Throughout the day, you will begin to feel strangely giddy, but it will pass. Nothing much will seem like it happens otherwise, but the guides assure you that you will understand on the night of the winter solstice when the ritual is complete and your body becomes a conduit to purify and rejuvenate Avalon's magic. For now, as thanks, the guides offer you one of the celebratory gifts they have to offer-- free drinks (this time of the age-appropriate alcoholic or sugary variety), a free night's stay at the Red Springs, a yule log, an escort, a Recipe: Snow Dance. (Effect: Snow Dance will cause small flurries to pick up where the spell is cast, resulting in decreased visibility. Only works if snow is already present, as it cannot generate elements.) The choice is yours. Pick one. 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 may 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. *This Everwarm does not count toward your potion collection for those who wish to take up potion brewing. You must obtain Everwarm from the Elphame Trader's to count. **Jackets come in a variety of neutral colors, enchanted with a fit-adjustment spell that will adjust to your character's size.

Comments

I'm sorry for him.

[kiss_it_better]

[He follows after with a nod of thanks for holding the door.

He laughed, nothing more than a short, amused breath, almost a scoff but softer.]

...that does seem like something he'd do. [He presses the button for his floor, listening to the sounds of the elevator door sliding shut.] Making people angry with all his nonsense but you can't truly hate him either.

[Because he's so kind.

Chang Geng can't see his face right now, but his mouth is curved into a smile, subtly different from his usual mild expressions because of the warmth in his eyes and voice.]

Honestly, when I was younger there were times when he'd make me so angry I was sure I'd die.

[...even though his words seem to be just full of complaints!]

1/2

[angel_of_death]

Puts even your recklessness to shame, does he?

[Walter is teasing, but it's the sort of thing he can easily imagine to be true. He settles against the back of the elevator, thoughts drifting to the night he and the qilin's master met; the hand outstretched to help him up—the hand he didn't take—, the words meant to reassure, the words meant to rile him up...]

2/2

[angel_of_death]

[...the sight of the man starting to sink in the water before a turtle with a back of ice emerged from the depths to lift him out of danger.]

...I'm glad that turtle saved him.

[Head dipped and voice quiet, Walter settles into uncomfortable silence.]

[serpentinthegarden]

Uenoyama was kind to worry about him but the slippery serpent had nipped out the back way when the fun began. He caught a glimpse of the kid staring back into the fray and peeked past him to see the chaos inside, laughing evilly as some one got caught in the face by a lettuce.

"Oooh! That was a good throw! Good thing they didn't wing that at you when you were up on stage, right?"

[theskyaccepts]

[Tsuna nods, a little relieved that Yamamoto knows about the future. Though, exactly when is another question and he's not entirely sure how to bring that up.]

Sort of, yeah. I'm still learning and it's not quite like the dying will flames. I'm not quite sure how to use it just yet.

[angel_of_death]

At first, Walter is slightly confused. However, he soon pieces the movement together with what was said before, and comes to a conclusion as to what Li Min's proposal is; he means for one of them to do the carrying, and the other to guard.

Though the person he had gone with before and he had taken one cup each, that he had gone and completed the ritual before meant that they only needed one cup. One cup needed only one hand to hold it, and he could easily wield his kinetic magic with the other hand if need be. Furthermore, if he took the cup, Li Min would be free to wield his sword if defending themselves from the bats became an issue.

After a moment of deliberating, Walter tapped his sternum once, then proceeded to the altar to retrieve the clay vessel.

[liveandforgive]

[ She may not seem as bothered on the surface to most. But... Cloud's not "most" anymore. Not after everything he's seen and shared in kind. The signs were there. And besides- he's no stranger to anxiety, and suppressing it to look ahead. While she removes her hairtie, he pulls at the familiar scarf wrapped about his neck, deciding to, for now, unceremoniously throw it onto the edge of the bed. He takes a step towards the window beside the bed, his gaze settling out on a new night sky.

Another world. Far removed from their own. Let alone where they both came from. His hand briefly touches the glass as he takes in what she's saying behind him. ]

Yeah...

[ Then she talks about magic, and he looks back over his shoulder to her at first. The mood in the room shifts a little. Lighter again as he starts turning around. ]

This'll be a first for me too. Wonder if this is what it was like for the Cetra...

[ Staring down at his hands, he flexes them as he thinks of the prospect of casting spells without the need for Materia. It comes at a price- his strength bolstered by Mako. But it's a setback he'll learn from. Just like Weiss will learn to deal without her Semblance for now. ]

Y'know... I've actually heard of this place.

[schmisse]

[ The room is warm enough that Weiss can remove her cardigan and just let her dress loose. She sits on the bed and folds it neatly on her lap before setting it aside on the table next to it. With that, she slowly lays down on the bed, rolling on her side so she can look at Cloud. ]

What do you mean?

[ She actually feels a little hungry, but she also just wants to rest. It's been an emotional day, and she feels like she can sleep easy tonight now that Cloud is here. The worry she feels for him shows in her eyes, though, but she's doing her best not to be so bothered by all of this. And hopefully? When she wakes up in the morning, Cloud will be right next to her. ]

How is that possible?

[emet_sulk]

"Hmm? Oh." He shrugs even though the boy likely can't see it. "I heard talk of it and decided to accompany some...shall we say acquaintances? Here. I know not where they are now. Being helpful I suppose."

Perhaps it IS a little too dark, come to think of it. He closes his eyes (it's not like they were being helpful right now anyway) and continues to carefully feel his way through by hand. Usually, such caves would develop some bioluminescence or other forms of natural light. So, why...?

Ah, because such light must attract predators which hunt for it.

"What of yourself? Did you just arrive?"

[marxmanship]

Yep! I'm one of the only ones. My brother and sister aren't here, though ... I'm not sure what happened to them. Maybe they took a wrong turn at Deerington.

[he pulls a 'yeesh' face, but that disappears at the sight of the bunny]

Well hey there! No Cadbury eggs in the carriage, yeah? I don't feel like walking the rest of the way.

[marxmanship]

"Okkay is my name spelled backwards, y'know." He grins and draws in a deep breath, then heaves the snowball.

The kinetic magic carries it a little too far, though, and it hits a tree behind Harry, knocking it over. A few onlookers are showered with snow as the tree - mercifully - only hits a nearby snowbank.

"Uh. Timber?"

LOL

[partyondude]

To his credit, Ted only looks crestfallen for a moment. "Oh. ... That's a total bummer. But, hey! That just means I can teach it to you! I can't play piano and I don't have three other guys to back me up but I can give it a shot. It's a most excellent song. A rock opera, which means it's a million times better than stuffy old regular opera, and you don't have to take a fancy foreign language to understand it!" He grins, bobbing his head a little from side to side. "Except for maybe Bismillah, but I always figured maybe that was the dude's name."

[phoenixwiz]

Uh oh, Harry jumps a bit the moment the large snowball hits a tree behind him and the other people got coated in rainbow snow, and his face literally has his jaws drop in shock, utterly speechless by the sheer amount of force that snowball had.

“Well, this is just interesting: didn’t saw that coming,” he gasps while his eyes stare at the fallen tree, “At least the tree didn’t land on anyone and no one got hurt.”

[irritated]

[Hikaru's still laughing for a good bit until he sighs and then takes a deep breath, sighing as he calms down.

But when he looks at Taichi, he has one question because now that he isn't distracted:]

Hey, Taichi? Why are you dressed like some Halloween reject?

[whosaysdajare]

[ Tch. If that's supposed to be a joke it's not worth laughing, and if it's a drag, then where's the race car track...!

Well, it's Ichiro who was willing and able to say a whole lot more about that split of theirs, why the audience—which included Sasara—had seen the teams of Ikebukuro and Yokohama go at each other with such temper. Not that Samatoki's alone had ever been temperate. That, and his awful sense of humor, 's something Sasara can't forget even through a haze of memory loss; probably the pent up fury of a few years.

He'd claim to still know Samatoki at least that well, even if the other'd deny it all. ]

Eh? [ But to say all that, it's way too much. Even bumping into each other is, by all means. ] That fella behind me–

[ Sasara points over his shoulder, shifting blame to where it should deservedly land. No one's there to pick it up though. Ahem! What's the big deal, anyway? Sure, he heard "don't spill a drop", but that sorta statement must be overdrawn. ]

[arf]

Huh? Oh, it was the zombiefied version of my Roy costume before I got thrown in the ocean. We just finished closing night.

[ He opens the jacket Hikaru have him for his birthday he's got over it and shows him the shirt, obvious where squibs had gone off still but faded from being set in the ocean and worn for a few days now, even if he tried to wash it in the inn bathtub in between. ]

I promise it looked better before. I don't have any money to buy new clothes.

[whosaysdajare]

[ It's better than a quiet, melancholic trip into the unknown, to be sure! To be sure, it's as much of a private performance as one can get! Well, that is, if this were a show Sasara's jokes would be better by miles. His fame does have some ground, after all.

But if bad puns get his name out just as well, then how bad can they really be, ya know!? ]

A-hah!

[ Time to introduce himself. He bows at the waist—as much as he can, sitting. Remain seated with your hands and feet inside the ride at all times. ]

Of course, I'm not a cheetah nor lion! The one and only Sasara Nurude!

[irritated]

[He had been happy to see that Taichi still had his jacket. Not that Taichi probably had had much of a choice. Hikaru definitely had not chosen what items he'd brought with him because if he had then Taichi's gloves would have come with him.

Time shenanigans are still confusing, though.]

Is that your last memory before coming here?

[tsuyoi_ame]

He just mentioned it a little bit before I saw you.


[It has not been that long since he saw Tsuna, in fact, he did not see or interact with anyone other than one more person before running into Gokudera as it is. He can almost see the gears working in Gokudera's head. He is not a cruel young man and there is a part of him that feels bad for that, knowing his mention of Tsuna to goad Gokudera into continuing on with him caused it.

Now more aware than he was once upon a time what's really going on with his friend, even if it's second-hand knowledge because the bomber, no matter what never opens up about the really personal things.

So he does what he does best or at least probably to Gokudera's way of thinking, he annoys him, coming up behind and fling an arm around his shoulder with that wide grin of his.]

We can go help him, it'll be like a big sleepover!

[bakudan_bambino]

...

[Okay, maybe he shouldn't be going off at Yamamoto. It's important that the Tenth has his friends and people he knows. It'll be a comfort to him. He just wishes that he would have said something, given Gokudera the task to find them a larger place instead of taking it on himself. Not that he's incapable... of course the Tenth can do whatever he wants.

Did he not trust him to be capable enough... it's not like the Tenth is thoughtless, but maybe he'd just forgotten? Gokudera is ruminating over it all with a sour expression on his face. It warps into something more like mild irritation when Yamamoto just suddenly hangs on him.]

Obviously! Get off-!

[Gokudera gives him a bit of a shove, but nothing too harmful. Mostly he just doesn't want to push too hard and have them both fall over. He's... tolerant. He's not actually considered that since being in this world, he's been sleeping in relatively close proximity to his boss. It's hard to be unable to sleep well, then to try and keep engaged, ever vigilant for anything that could cause his boss any kind of harm. Gokudera is a little more on edge than usual, and he's sure that his boss can see right through to it. He's not trying to worry him. Maybe he and the baseball idiot can sort of keep shifts...]

For you, maybe. I've been spending my night working on my magic. [He gloats a little, because let's face it... he's a little further ahead in terms of his magical prowess than Yamamoto.]

[angel_of_death]

"I was around for a few minutes before you came up to me." Their voices echo oddly against the cave walls, Walter notices. He drops his volume accordingly before continuing, "Like you, I heard word of it circulating among the population here."

In Camelot, he means.

[tsuyoi_ame]

Hahah! well, it's supposed to be fun so it should be a fair fight.


[Or at least that is how Yamamoto sees it, the snowball clips him only because he stopped to take the time to talk. But he is dropping, rolling and volleying a couple back as soon as he comes to a crouched position.]

[tsuyoi_ame]

[It's all sure to sort out, though it will probably be accidental in something Yamamoto says or if Tsuna asks. The baseball idiot is far too oblivious to realize they aren't from the same time back home.]

Hahaha! If anyone can do it Tsuna, you can!

[He flings an arm around his friend's shoulder as he says it, clearly no doubt in his mind that Tsuna is just amazing like that.]

[arf]

Yeah! Kind of? It's fresh but so is...

[ Taichi wiggles slightly where he's standing, like he's a cross between excited and embarrassed. Now that things have calmed down, it's sinking in that they have more time. Time is literally stopped, apparently.]

You know.

[tsuyoi_ame]

[Well, that's a start in the right direction, now if Gokudera could realize and treat himself as one of those friends, as someone important. But, baby steps, growth takes time and usually a catalyst. It is not as if they don't all have some growing to do, they are still young after all.

It is probably more, Tsuna does not consider giving out orders or ask them to do things like that. He may suggest they all three go together, just because that's what friends do. But he like Yamamoto sees Gokudera as more than a Right Hand, he's a friend, part of their group.

But, Gokudera has to come to realize this, they can not make him.]

Hahaha maa, maa, it's okay.

[Patient as ever, chuckling when he is shoved his arm falls away but he keeps step with Gokudera, clearly intending to continue on with him now that the bomber seems to have accepted it.

Of course, he knows where Tsuna is staying, the intention to get all three of them together already in his mind as he is sure it is Tsuna's as well. It's always better if they are together.]

Huh, but you have to sleep or you'll be too tired to use it.