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

[Yup, that definitely catches the attention of the passer-by, who could definitely pick up what sounds like a threat despite his general inability to notice the broad side of a barn in general. But instead of either preparing to defend himself or running, he stops.]

With what?

[Pure curiosity, not fear or concern.]

[ Emerald startles slightly, then narrows her eyes. She's been in a bad place these last few months and she's quick to irritate. But at least he doesn't seem aggressive, and so she doesn't seem particularly aggressive in return beyond the expression. She tosses the snake-like creature a few feet away, and it seems perturbed but seems to slither off for now. Emerald is happier with it away than there. ]

With guns, what else?

[ She reaches back to touch the butts of two revolvers sticking out of a holster over her rear. Her world's ammunition doesn't use gunpowder- it uses a substance called Dust, which works wet. Which also means it's very limited here, which she hasn't figured out yet. She's never been to a world that operates on anything else as a source of energy, after all. ]

[Not aggressive, no; he has no reason to fear that threat, since he isn't trying anything.]

Seems like a waste of bullets, at least till we figure out if there's any way to reload. [Which is why the threat caught his attention in the first place; does she actually know of a way?]

[Though his eyes flick towards the retreating snake-ish thing, and the sight coaxes a bemused smile out of him.] Man, it must suck to be the rear head.

Fine, I'll chop it up.

[ Pretty much every weapon in Emerald's world is a transformative weapon that's also a gun, one way or the other. The idea that there aren't reloads available is not something she considered, since it's practically everywhere in her world. It had to be. But her revolvers are also kusarigama, so she's not out of options. ]

I hope it sucks. Those things are usually closer to building size and want nothing but murder.

What if that one doesn't?

[She'd opened herself up to that one with 'usually', and that guy doesn't look like he's much trouble, the way he's slithering off.]

I mean, this isn't where we're used to, so we can't assume the rules are the same here.

That one doesn't because--

[ She shakes her head. It's probably better not to advertise that she's pretty sure she's got a weird free pass with the evil people-eradicating monsters, at least for now. ]

I'd be stupid to trust anything that showed up and decided it was my partner even without it being a monster.

[ She heads toward the foot of the staircase, but walks slow enough that it's clear she's not trying to ditch him or the conversation. ]

Maybe I'd agree with you if it weren't happening with all of this. [Folding his arms behind his head, he lopes a couple steps to catch up to her. No problem with his longass legs.] But so far I haven't seen anyone come to harm because of them, and if they mean us harm, why not just do it?

If I had to guess, because we're useful right now.

[ She looks at him as he catches up, then turns to face forward while they walk. ]

What's yours anyway? I doubt everyone's are monsters that like to hunt people by sensing negative emotions.

[ If he couldn't tell, Emerald isn't the most positive person in the world. She has good reason not to trust them. ]

[No worries. Morgan, quite cheerful, will not let her rub off on him. He's already had his dark times, after all.]

[By way of response, he tugs open his coat, enough to reveal nine heads on nine long necks poking out of one bulging internal pocket.]

Haven't picked a name yet, but here he is!

You're naming it?

[ Why is he keeping it in his pocket... She gives it an uncertain look. It doesn't have the boney armor and colorings of a Grimm, so it's already less threatening. So is it living in the guy's pocket, apparently. ]

Sure. Supposed to be hanging out with me for a while, why shouldn't I give him a name? If he has one already, he sure hasn't told me!

[He has, or, uh, had, cats and a dog back home, so he sounds every bit the proud and familiar pet owner.]

[ Emerald's never had a pet in her life. She was busy trying to support herself. ]

And do you have one?

[ Since they're hanging out on the way up these stairs, apparently. ]

[She'd missed out! Pets are great!]

Morgan Knight. And yes, I've had to explain that's a surname and not a title once or twice here already. [And those weren't even the first times!]

[ She would've been happy with a roof over her head first. Street rat life. ]

Emerald Sustrai. Also surname. [ It's a word that means "thief" after all. Though technically also a title, but she doesn't go around advertising that. ]

Emerald. [He repeats that with a smile, as if trying it out.] It's a pretty name.

[This is where he'd add that it suits her, but he has this CRAZY hunch that she's not in the mood for some casual flirting. So different tack.]

So you're from a world with a lot of trouble with monsters and the like, huh?

Yeah. People either live in one of the world's four kingdoms or they get wiped out sooner or later.

[ And even the kingdoms are on shaky terms lately, but she doesn't want to bring that up. Mild guilt there. ]

You seem like you're from a world that's really trusting of strangers.

[Morgan waves a hand idly.] Not necessarily. There's generally no reason to believe others mean ill, all things being equal, but I also have a position of privilege. There's really very little anyone can do to actually hurt me if they betray my trust, so I can afford to be trusting and open.

[ Emerald turns around to walk backwards up the staircase so she can look at him while they walk but it only lasts a second before she remembers that her aura isn't active with a glance down the side of the stairs, before turning back to face forward. A normal day, she'd know she'd survive that kind of a fall without a scratch. Now... she doesn't really want to find out. ]

Maybe back home. Right now, we have to trust each other not to shove each other off the stairs. It'd hurt no matter how privileged you were. Good thing I'm not a bad guy.

[ Well. She is, but not for any motivations anyone here has to worry about. The only things she's really done without Cinder's desires in mind is theft and evading police. ]

Hey, hey. [Warmly amused, Morgan rubs at the side of his head with the heel of his hand. It sounds like bragging, but he has to be honest.] Taking a fall safely is foundational in martial arts. It's not good form to say 'never', but I'm confident the chance that you would push me and manage to do meaningful harm to me is far less of a risk than being friendly and open.

[ She smirks, her tone teasing. She's just pulling his leg, after all. Even if she's been stuck in a literal hellscape the past year or so, then inside of one of the Grimm she was complaining about, so maybe her sense of humor's gotten a little darker. ]

They teach you how to fall from the top of a cliff in your martial arts? I'd definitely wait until we were almost at the top if I wanted to do it.

[ Emerald's world has much more... extreme fighting, and she's sure she could draw her weapon and catch herself on the side of the cliff before she hits the ground, but she doesn't know what kind of martial arts could give a safe landing without some kind of protections.

That said, her personal fighting style is built around her abilities back home. Here, she can still fight hand-to-hand but it's never been her strong suit since she's used to using her abilities to rely more on sneak attacks. Her smirk fades. ]

But you're probably right with all this magic nonsense. You wouldn't even see me coming back home.

[ ..There's really no point in hiding it if she can't do it here. ]

That's true!

[Thing about Morgan is... he's surprisingly terrible at noticing things, and he knows it. She could probably walk right up to him without him registering it, so long as she didn't set any of his danger instincts off. So he isn't going to pretend he'd somehow manage to spot her in even THESE circumstances, let alone her homeworld's.]

But you're a nice sight, so I'm glad I didn't miss out.

[She wants to pull his leg? He'll slack off on that 'behaving' thing he'd been doing!]

[ Emerald gives him a mildly prickly look, but in the end it's just a compliment and not something she feels the need to shut down completely. So she goes with a snide comment instead. ]

I look like less of a drowned rat than everyone else.

[ Benefits of always keeping her hair tied up. They're almost to the top and she can see the stables in the distance, casually ignoring that she just implied that he's included in the drowned rat population. It's not that she doesn't think he's attractive-- if anything, it's because she doesn't dislike talking to him so far and Emerald really only knows how to get along with other people by teasing if she's not being intentionally fake. She picks up the pace a little once she sees the building, energized by at least having some goal to head toward. ]

Is that where we're supposed to go?

[Well. She's half-right, because his hair is absolutely soaked and hangs past his waist in a sodden mass that isn't anywhere near the glorious, "I'm-an-80's-metal-band" mane he sees it as. But the rest of him has shed the water nicely, anyway.]

What can I say, I like athletic. [No apologies, no remorse. He shades his eyes with a hand, trying to make something useful out on the building, but no luck there.]

I'ma say yes, because where the heck else would we? If they didn't want drenched people blundering in their front door they shouldn't have put the stairs in.

[ Emerald's got a tendency to be a little on the meaner side at times, so even if she was only 5% right she'd still have said it. ]

I like not being stranded on a weird island without a roof over my head. Come on.

[ ..At least she's telling him to come with. She doesn't know anyone here, really, so if he wants to stick around her, she's not going to complain. Despite that she's spent most of her life alone, it's not like she likes it as long as he doesn't get obnoxiously optimistic on her.

As they approach, there are a lot of visible horses and other new arrivals around them, so it's pretty easy to see it's probably where they're intended to go. Emerald asks for directions from someone nearby, acting surprisingly sweet and polite when she does. It's easier to get what she wants with honey than vinegar. At least she gets the info to find the guy giving stuff out before she turns back to look for Morgan. ]

[Okay, wow. That sudden turn of attitude surprises him more than a bit, and worries him just a little. Definitely a misread on his part; he'd figured she'd let her grump shine through no matter the situation. Of course, being generally immune to caring about potential bad results, it mostly just results in curiosity, and a new set of guesses about her.]

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