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

[Oh. That's embarrassing.]

font face=courier>Sorry about that. It sure seems like you were teasing me about it.

if you like them so much then you're included

it just wasn't personal ヽ(￣～￣　)ノ

I know but shouldn't you be included too?

You seem to know a lot about it.

[Will this be the start of a beautiful friendship??]

you don't need to play them all the time to notice the same trends over and over

anybody with good taste can see it coming

[The friendship will be amazing between these two.]

How about you recommend me some good games if you know them so well.

biostun was good. it had a great combat system that gave me enough of a challenge even if it got easy to figure out but it had good graphics too so it was good. the story was kind of too feel good at the end but if you're into that then it's fine.

quarter-life 2 is another safe choice but play it on your pc if you can. it looks way better. it's another shooter but the combat system was a lot of fun. it took me a few hours to really get the hang of it. the story was pretty good, none of that feel-good bullshit.

Based on your suggestions, it seems like you're more into serious story telling rather than the typical happy ending.

I'm not complaining, I might need to see what other games are out there. The last one I played involved portals.

happy endings are overdone. who wants to see a happy ending just for the sake of having one?

you mean gateways? yeah that was a good one.

It's not always a bad thing. I know happy endings can't always be realistic but there is still some worth it in.

There was another one I heard that I think you might like too? Have you heard Street Gangs 3?

i'm too much of a realist for happy endings. not unless they're actually earned.

never heard of it. what's it about?

[At least he's willing to hear things and give them a chance.]

Doesn't make it feel as if their happy ending isn't earned regardless if it is realistic or not.

As for the game, I've just heard some things about it such how everything is just over the top in regards to how you start a gang war, steal a car, or arson?

it's like if somebody dies then don't deus ex machina them back. that's rpg problems right there.

ehhh at least if it's supposed to be over the top then that could be fun. i'd check it out.

if i wasn't stuck in this rpg nightmare.

Okay, you got a point there. It does seem right out of the blue and doesn't make any sense.

And you know, if you needed help figuring out this rpg nightmare? You could have asked.

this isn't my first time being brought to some weird world. i'm basically an expert at this point.

[It's his second time so not really.]

i'm fine.

[No he is not.]

Really? What kind of world did you come from?

And you sure? While it might not be the same, I'm kind of familiar on how to use magic. It shouldn't be a problem.

[At least the use of said 'magic' doesn't involve questionable means this time around]

it was like a sci-fi movie? except we turned into animals and everything was perverted. writing it out like that i'm not even sure i would believe it if i hadn't been the one there.

are you some magical type?

[Hikaru's used to meeting people like that now too so at least he isn't a total newb at this!]

I’m not going to lie, that sounds like some kind of weird fantasy you would read online.

[Just saying!]

Back home, you can say that. I’m just use to attacking enemies with light and dark spells!

right? but no, it was real. unless the twist is that i've been dreaming all along but then i think i'd just be annoyed at the 'it was all a dream' trope.

five months ago i definitely would have had a hard time believing that but after meeting a vampire who used fire, what you're saying isn't that unbelievable. what kind of enemies, though?

At least the vampire didn’t have garlic breath. Now that would have been something with using fire.

[Pause]

If I told you, you probably wouldn’t believe me. It isn’t everyday you get to fight the negative emotions of people taking form.

he was anything but a stereotype. actually i think he was kind of annoyed i didn't think he was a vampire and just some mutant. i still think he was a mutant but whatever. if somebody wants to be a vampire then let them be that.

[Or Hikaru shouldn't have the right to decide what somebody is or isn't but whatever.]

i believe you. like i said, i came from a sci-fi world where we turned into animals. why would i not believe you?

How could he not be a vampire? Didn’t he have fangs, gray skin, or turn into a bat? Unless he was turned into another animal on top being a vampire.

[That or Hikaru was doing it to purposely annoy him]

Really? Most people would brush it off as me making it up. That’s probably a first!

he looked normal to me? and everything he explained to me just sounded like some mutation. end of the world, some parasite, etc etc etc.

i was in a bubble under the ocean, trapped with some prince where they forced us to hear our entire life stories in the bubble. i turned into a hyena and my brother into some raccoon thing. my friend could taste through his fingers. you go through that crap then you have to believe in a lot of impossible things.

Edited 2021-01-01 03:37 (UTC)

Maybe he is from a world with a zombie invasion?

But now I'm curious. What in the world did you go through? I don't know about you but I'm interested in hearing about it.

[That and he rather not go into too much detail about his own personal issues with fighting said creatures, thank you!]

zombies would have been weird too.i think i'd prefer vampires.

planet that was dying that needed us to touch to generate an energy force. or something like that. there were these moons that made us change? i was sanguis and my brother was iris. we had magic for some reason. but weird things happened. like the bubble and then this one rain that made it impossible for anybody to touch.

there was a lot going on. it still doesn't even sound real.

I'll say. It sounds something like one of those strange sci-fi movies you would see at a local viewing. It doesn't really make any sense for people to touch one another to get energy to save a planet.

I'm not even sure how magic can be part of it with a dying planet either. However, I'm not a storywriter so I'm not sure how these things are suppose to go.

[But who was he one to talk when he had to fight evil by moonlight and go to school by daylight?]

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