avalaughs | TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 2

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TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 2

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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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'll make you a proper cup of tea sometime.

[The stuff they get from breakfast just isn't the same quality. But it will do in a pinch.

Shifting, Walter comes to a stand next to his new medic.]

Lead the way.

I'll look forward to it.

[The tea from breakfast is of questionable quality but it was drinkable.

He smiled and did exactly as he was asked to and led the way back to the hotel everyone was given a room in as he headed to the elevator he thought to ask,]

Do such buildings exist where you're from?

[Inns, after all, were quite different from hotels.]

They do. The décor is quite a bit different, but London has similar structures. Not that I've had much occasion to stay in them.

[Staying overnight anywhere was only done when necessary for his work. He didn't go on holiday. He saw no reason to.]

Do you not have them where you're from?

We have businesses that serve a similar function but they're never this big. Most inns only have a few rooms and the bottom doubles as a place that serves food. I suppose it's because there are fewer travellers in Da Liang.

A place as big as this...it would be unsustainable unless there were more people staying than merchants, scholars travelling to the capital for the imperial exam and the occasional wanderer.

Da Liang?

[Wait, he's heard that place name before.

Stopping in front of the elevator, he pivots to turn and face his companion.]

You wouldn't happen to know the other fellow here from there, would you?

[There is really only one other person from the same country as him here...]

If that person has a qilin as a familiar then yes. [If not, it'd be good to have more people here.]

[Maybe someone else might brighten to know that the person they're talking to knew an acquaintance. But for all that Chang Geng cared for Gu Yun he knew exactly what sort of person he was.

He resisted the urge to ask, what did he do?]

I hope he didn't bother you. He means well.

I know he means well.

[That ridiculous man extended a hand offering to help him up even when he mistook Walter for an enemy combatant.]

Though he won't stop calling me "Xiao Hu" even though he went through the trouble of asking my name.

[Unaware of the man's hearing difficulties as he is, Walter is a little annoyed by that.]

[...Chang Geng could guess why Gu Yun was doing that. If he's been relying on reading lips then it's likely he wouldn't be able to know what Walter's name was when he answered.

And, no doubt, rather than admitting that he decided to engage in his usual nonsense.

The elevator door opened with a chime that was almost perfectly timed with Chang Geng's sigh.]

That's how he is. He drives General Shen crazy with his antics quite often.

[His words are exasperated but there's an obvious note of fondness when he talks about this person as well.]

I believe you. He seems just like the sort of person to drive a general to his wits' end.

[Walter steps into the elevator, holding the door should the other be a little slow in coming in. He's been on this elevator enough times to know the doors automatically close.]

He mistook me for an enemy soldier when we first met, but the great softie still offered me a hand.

[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!]

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...]

[...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.]

[Up until this moment, he hadn't seriously considered the possibility of anyone having drowned when they arrived. Even now he was sure none of them were allowed to just drown.

Still, even just considering Gu Yun nearly going through that...it was a little upsetting.]

Me too.

[He's fine. Chang Geng reminded himself.

Though the bigger problem was...there was no one else here who knew them. There was no Shen Yi to keep an eye on Gu Yun and made sure he at least had someone to support him.

The thought of being Gu Yun's sole confidante in this place had a sort of appeal...that he mentally slapped himself for because that was so incredibly selfish.

He looked at Walter for a moment.]

...as I'm sure you can tell, he's much better at taking care of others than taking care of himself. I know as adults we shouldn't burden you but I would be relieved if you could watch his back when you can from now on.

[For a moment, Walter remains silent. He feels guilty. When the man had started to sink, he had hesitated. Not knowing whether or not he was an enemy, having been told that he was but already having doubts, Walter hadn't reached out when he could have.

Would he have, had the turtle not been there? He could try to tell himself he would have, but the reality is that he didn't know; for things like that, you really only know the answer to that when they happen.

That moment has passed. It won't happen again, not in that form. Not under those circumstances. There's no use dwelling on it.

Taking a deep breath, he straightens, facing Li Min.]

I already decided that when we made it to the shore. [His mouth curves into a small, subdued smile.] Camelot's a land from English legend, so as far as I see it, he's in my territory. Any supernatural threat, and I'll see to it.

[And any non-supernatural threat... well, he'd keep an eye out for him anyway.]

[He meets Walter's gaze, not to challenge but to acknowledge his resolve.]

Then, I'll rely on you in the future. [He returned that smile.] Are you familiar with handling supernatural threats?

[Even before when he was talking about the Black Dog he seemed to know a lot.]

I am. I've been doing it for years, and I'll be doing it until the day I die.

[How long that is, he doesn't know. It isn't the sort of work that lends itself to leading a very long life. But it is what he is used to — the only thing he can imagine himself doing. Normal things, a normal life... he can barely wrap his head around the idea of it anymore. Interacting with normal people is almost just as hard, too, when the closest thing he has to companionship even off the battlefield is...

His brows furrow, a pang rising at the thought, but he holds his smile.]

...I'm afraid I don't know much in the way of how things are in your corner of the world though. Qilin and pixiu aren't beings I've ever encountered before winding up here. And they mostly seem like good creatures, anyhow.

[It's the bad things he deals with. Only the bad. Ever the bad.]

[So it's like that.]

Is that--

[...by your choice? is how he wanted to finish that question but the elevator chooses that moment to open and a hallway where someone may suddenly appear from behind a door seemed like the wrong place to ask something so personal.]

...nevermind.

[Instead he steps out into the hall.]

Pixiu and qilin are both auspicious creatures but there are certainly others that are not so benign. If you feel it may be useful to you I can tell you about some of them...though I am by no means an expert.

[Whatever the man may have been about to say, Walter doesn't press. Instead, he continues to follow him, idly wondering which of the doors is his. There's no reason to ask, though; the truth will reveal itself soon enough.]

Even myths and legends people believe to be complete fabrications may have kernels of truth to them.

[And this sometimes by design; truths disguised as fiction to make them more palatable to the public without worry of driving them to panic.]

That's possible. Though separating the truths from the lies can be difficult at times.

[He led them to the door of the room he's been given, stopping long enough to unlock it with the key he'd been given. Then he holds the door for Walter.]

After you.

I see they have some real gentlemen in Da Liang.

[Walter may be teasing, but there isn't a hint of sarcasm to his tone. He already quite likes the man.]

Very well.

[And without further prompting, he enters, though he lingers by the doorway afterward. This is Li Min's room, not his, so it stands to reason that he should wait for his host to direct him to where he would like him to be.]

I try to be a credit to my upbringing.

[Which is maybe only funny to him because his upbringing was...well. A mess, to say the least.

He closes the door behind him. The room was the same as all the other ones. He considers the chair for a second but ultimately gestured at the room at large.]

Sit where you're comfortable. But if you have any injuries on your back the bed will be easier.

[His shoulders slump as he looks to the bed, a sigh on his lips. He does in fact have an injury across his back. Had the other man noticed, he wonders?

Either way, it doesn't really change matters.]

...Please forgive my intrusion.

[A man's sleeping area is a personal space, he feels. But he follows Li Min's suggestion, if only to make things easier on him. He'll find some way to make up for the transgression later.

Taking a seat upon the very edge of the man's bed, Walter briefly ponders where to start. If the shirt is to come off, he reasons, the waistcoat and tie will need to come off. So it is, with nimble fingers, that he begins to undo the buttons of his waistcoat, letting the dark fabric hang loose and open against the white of his shirt.]

[As a man who had wandered for four years his own, his sleeping area could be an inn or a conveniently empty temple. Sometimes, it was one of the houses other jianghu friends shared when they weren't around to live there. For him, it was the most practical so it was all right.

He sat down beside Walter without a hint of self-consciousness.]

Can you let me know where you were injured?

I was struck on both my front and my back.

[Loosening his tie, he slips it loose from its knot, the long strip hanging over either shoulder.]

My upper back, around halfway up the rib cage. The front, closer to the base. And...

[His fingers reach to his collar, undoing the first button. Immediately as the upper rim of the high neck falls open, the tops of a truly ugly bruise become visible. The shirt had been barely covering it this whole time.

After undoing the second button, he gestures to it.]

There's this.

[Were one to examine it with the barest of anatomical knowledge, they would easily be able to pick out the delineation of fingers along the sides of his neck, wide in breadth. There's a dip in the front, the bruising narrower where only the thumbs had pressed, but it is just as dark. Too dark. Yet the hyoid bone is intact, and his throat mysteriously uncrushed; both inconsistent with the bruising so clearly writ across his skin.

His arms fall to his sides, fingers fisting in the covers at the memory of being choked, of struggling to breathe even as he tried to bring an end to his enemy's life in turn.

Of a voice mocking him as his partner finally bothered to step in.

He pauses, taking a slow breath before resuming work on the rest of the buttons.]

TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 2

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I'm sorry for him.

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Had to review some of the Dracula novel for the slow-turning bits. ;;