TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 10

[avalonmods]

{ QUICK NAV } Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary ⚔️️ Top-Levels Only ⚔️️ SUMMARY: New arrivals drop into the lake and have to climb up a cliff to the Rent a Ride, where they are given their device and some headphones and can retrieve their personal materials. They travel to Camelot, which is a multiple day journey, so they stop at the Red Springs along the way and stay at an inn there. A ⦿ Soaking in Your Arrival KERPLUNK, SPLASH! Regardless of what you were in the middle of, you and your familiar have been magically pulled into the world of Avalon just above the Bay's waters. After a brief plunge into the Bay, the rush of water filling your ears and soaking up into every creak and crevice of your body, you may need to cough to clear your airways when you rise above the surface. It's still chilly, but not enough that you can't manage on your own. The Lady of the Lake is swimming around under the water, helping to rescue any wayward travelers who look like they're struggling in the water. This month's helpers are giant pillow jellies, a species of jellyfish that is capable of ballooning itself at the surface to create bouncy pads for characters to hop across to the shore, should they choose or not be able to swim. They come in a variety of bioluminescent colors, but do not seem to be very talkative even to animal magic users. Those who try may find themselves being ignored, even if they hear the jellies talking amongst themselves about this and that. If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. The shores themselves are littered with new arrivals complaining their way up a staircase carved into the walls of the White Cliffs. There is no railing, so be careful, 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. (Though.. given how hot and muggy the weather is this first week, maybe you might want to ask him to toss you right back into the lake where the waters are still cool.) *Reminder: Your character's familiar may or may not be with your character in their initial plunge. If the familiar isn't partial to water, it may meet your character on the beach or sit atop their head while they swim. Or if they are, they might splash about and swim alongside your character. Familiars have different personalities and body specs and we leave those up to the players. B ⦿ The Caravan to Camelot Once everyone is wrangled up to the top of the White Cliffs, the handsome owner of the Rent-a-Ride, Archimedes, will distribute smart phones and a pair of ear buds and tell them to "Check the Shit Box." The "Shit Box" refers to wardrobe more formally known as the Wardrobe of Finding, a hammerspace-like wardrobe that opens to each person's items and pets when the person touches the handle. It was recently enchanted by Merlin to prevent people from having to fish their waterlogged possessions and pets out of the water with them. From there, Archimedes directs everyone to settle in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and gives them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: The rest of the universe is frozen in time and your character has been brought here by a familiar that was able to bond with them. They'll have to learn magic to help save their own world from destruction, but first they've got to get them to Camelot. It is here that you have the first opportunity to decide who they will be in their new home. You'll have about an hour to wander around here, meet and greet, and pet the horses before it's time to go. These carriages use fae technology that combats weight, so your character will be able to get in regardless of whether they're light as a feather or weigh two tons. The carts have air conditioning when it's hot, heating when it's cold, and a mystical shield to protect from bugs. There is also a mini-bar that pops out of the console with whole coconuts filled with tropical drinks and topped with tiny umbrellas. Strawberry daiquiris, pina coladas, margaritas, mai tais, and more... all frosty and in the spirit of keeping you cool during the sunny month of August. (Naturally, virgin editions are available for the underaged.) Characters can use their smartphones to connect to Camelot's internet service, avalononline (AOL), to chat with other characters, watch dumb videos, learn about the world, contact Camelot Support (they'll answer any questions they can for you, from how to use a smart phone to where to find quests and resources to learn more about your magic). Be careful if you decide to use your phones while in the caravan-- if you don't use those earbuds and start forcing everyone to listen to your nonsense, Archimedes may make you walk. C ⦿ The Red Spring The journey from the White Cliffs to the City of Camelot is a long one, and the first evening you arrive you'll end up spending at the Red Spring, a booming resort town. Because of the volume of new arrivals and vacationers, inn rooms are assigned two-to-a-room. The rooms have two twin beds, a bathroom, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a TV equipped with a couple of entertaining video games and a few free movies. If you don't want to relax in the room, try taking a dip in the spring for another chance to meet your fellow travelers. The waters have restorative properties that help horses and travelers recover quickly when drunk. It is known to relieve stress, improve energy levels, and mildly accelerate healing. It may be a little chilly when you get out though, so make sure you don't slip rushing back indoors when you get out! The springs are also home to a large training grounds just outside town limits, where there are teachers who will teach basic magic safety and help you discover what kind of magic you have together with other new arrivals. Try target practice, obstacle courses, meditation circles, and other ways to try to figure out just what you can do... if you didn't already have an accidental discovery on the ride there. SUMMARY: The first attempt at using the mounts to travel en-masse up to fae territory is filled with problems: mandrake sprouts caused by recent murders drumming up requests to dig them up, two titanic creatures face off in the lake and catch characters in a maelstrom, and a mysterious underwater town with a strange curse being good neighbors with a last minute save... at a slight risk: becoming a merperson, naga, or cecaelian for a little while. With communications with Elphame in Celliwig disrupted by specters and Arthur temporarily decommissioned, the Hall of Mirrors is temporarily off limits for cleansing rituals. Celliwig has encouraged people to return to Camelot for the time being, which is just as well with all the newcomers flooding in. Last month's new arrivals through the old guard got an introduction to the new aquatic mounts and there are now plenty of people versed in how to handle and work with the magical alpacapies, mossatees, and deinosuchus. As scout parties head out further, there are a few problems that they've run into that need a helping hand from Camelot's otherworldly population. A ⦿ A Mandraconian Task Just as volunteers are asked to bring supplies for the journey to fae territory, a series of grisly murders involving strung up corpses appears around town (see this month's quest, "Not-So-Good Morning" for more details), and the dripping blood and fluids of these corpses seeps into the ground to give birth to strange, leafy plants that sprout leaves in all directions at once. They're small, and the locals seem weary of them, but ultimately they're breaking up pathways and making them into trip hazards... the locals recognize these plants as mandrake root, which is known in different cultures for... very different things. The mandrake root is a cursed plant that screams in a way that curdles blood enough to kill small creatures if they're too close and make a grown person go deaf. The reason anyone would pull them up however... well, their magical properties are astounding. It is said that Joan of Arc carried one in her possession to give her the power to take control of her own fate. Some religions claim that it has the ability to restore a person's fertility, and before clever manufacturers started using the name for tomatoes, Islamic tradition called the "apples of the jinn" and cause strong bouts of lust. Needless to say, a good many people are cautious about pulling them up, but more than willing to offer a fair sum of money to a newcomer who can get them out of the ground. The cause of their sprouting may be tragic, but there's no way that you're going to make it through town center with trip supplies without getting pulled aside and asked to help harvest the mandrake roots for a pretty penny... or maybe you're interested yourself. Either way, it may behoove you to practice a little magic with a friend to try to get them up. B ⦿ Clash of the Titans Finally everyone has gotten going and a mixture of brave Camelot citizens, Celliwigians, and otherworlders have headed back to Albion's White Cliffs to take off with their mounts (and partners... you're going to have to ride with someone, there aren't enough mounts for everyone to get their own!) and things are going well. It's about two days into the waters of Lake Avalon that things start to send a chill down your spine. Back on land, even for the first two days there, the weather had been hot and sunny, a beautiful summery start to August, but as the party starts to approach the southern banks of Dinas Emrys, they see a gargantuan beast run at bewildering speeds off the land and straight across the surface of the lake. The creature appears to be some kind of centipede formed of black clouds and lightning that illuminates its exoskeleton from inside of its body in deep purple and blue hues. Each of its legs kicks up a titanic wave headed straight for the party of explorers as it charges towards its target, what appears to be a tsunami wave containing a dark, shadowy figure emerging at least twenty stories above the water. The only part of it that isn't black are the blank, soulless eyes. As the lightning bug monster charges what some may recognize as an umibozu, it crashes into the tsunami wave and all three fall asunder... which is bad news for the traveling party, as the waters are now extremely choppy and lighting up with charges of the centipede's lightning. The result? As the two monsters dive down below the water, a maelstrom forms in their path and starts sucking everyone down! C ⦿ Fresh Waters Anyone who manages to escape the maelstrom will find that their mounts aren't moving forward this time around and are heading back where they came from, even with lost supplies. You may find yourself having to switch mounts with others nearby or talking to a strange beachball on the back of the alpacapie that's carrying your ass back to the White Cliffs... Or if you weren't so lucky, you may find yourself waking up on a slightly different shore. An underwater shore. An underwater town, in fact. After the initial panic of realizing that you're not drowning when you wake up settles in, you'll realize that you seem to be able to breathe underwater just fine. In fact, the real panic is probably about to start when you realize that like the fine people of this town that saved you, you've been temporarily gifted gills and a bottom lower half of either a merperson, a naga, or a cecaelia. Your caretaker, a nurse of the local town, offers the explanation that the only way to save everyone from drowning was to pull them into their territory, which is cursed to turn them all into sea monsters. Not to worry though, as long as you leave before the sun sets on the third day, you'll turn back to normal just fine. ...Though, they're not really sure when that was or if they battle is over, so you should probably find your friends and any possessions you had with you and start heading toward the surface. Not too much time to explore this strange, underwater town... especially since you don't have much practice not having legs to get you up to the surface. Don't worry, if you don't make it out in time, the Lady of the Lake will come fetch you... though perhaps not in time, so you may need to spend some time back in Camelot seeking out someone to break a curse. SUMMARY:After the recent event, people need to recover and heal. So Camelot's castle opens its doors for an open house, a swap meet and poetry battle auction, and a healing circle ritual. Arthur is injured and recovering, and news has spread on social media about it. There are lots of well-wishers and gifts being sent to the castle... enough that there's just too much for Arthur to do anything with it. He needs time to recover and rest and not be bothered, and as such declares that all those who need it shall share in the wealth and generosity of those wishing him well. The abundance (Especially from guilty Celliwigians who didn't realize what was happening right under their own noses) results in a few things happening... A ⦿ Open House Camelot's castle halls open up to all those who would like to come. Invitations are sent and a feast is prepared. A huge table with all manner of foods from different cultures is prepared. The only thing they ask is that you stay out of the wing of the castle that Arthur is resting in, as he is not available right now. Try new foods made from recipes from all around the different worlds or invite yourself to use the castle's royal public baths, remodeled from more ancient styles to include cool things like old architecture mixing with jacuzzi jets and waterfall shower rooms. There's even a water slide. It's more a water park than anything... Explore the library (except for the forbidden section, which has a very powerful magical barrier preventing entry-- even trying to tamper with it could result in your character glowing colors by their mood as punishment for messing with the magic). Those are dangerous texts in there! There's even a live show with a magician! Which sounds lame, but he's more or less showing off his skills in tricks, knife skills, and has a mean comedy routine to go with it. He's even willing to teach lucky volunteers how to escape death-defying stunts... hopefully. You may want to bring a buddy for backup. Or perhaps you're more interested in heading out to explore the rose gardens or finding a place to stay for the evening... don't worry, if you've had too much to drink or simply tired yourself out, you're welcome to stay in one of the guest rooms during this open house celebration. B ⦿ Swap Meet Not interested in exploring the castle? Well perhaps you'll enjoy the open-market bazaar that seems to have set up in the courtyard. All kinds of oddities are being exchanged in the castle courtyard and you may just find something rare.. or maybe it's a piece of crap. It's hard to tell, and the chances of getting swindled are just as high as the chances of getting an antique masterpiece. There is an auction for those willing to pay more for authenticity, but auctions in Camelot go a little bit differently... to win art, you must first prove yourself worthy of art-- all bid submissions must be performed in stanza. Haikus, rap, short poems-- all are valid, as long as they follow the rules of your chosen form of poetry and express why your bid deserves the win. The last person to falter wins their right to pay their bid, with at least 10,000G upped with each poetic rebuttal. C ⦿ Healing Circle After Party It's good to take care of yourself with a little fun, but if you're still stressed, hurt, traumatized, mildly upset, hung over, or just want to feel better about yourself, consider joining in some of the local witches and wizards in a meditative healing ritual. Step one: Gather herbs from the castle gardens. They've got all kinds, but you're looking for things like yarrow, apple blossoms, cinnamon, and lemon balm. Once you've gathered your herbs, join in the silent meditation circle with an available partner. Anyone is fine, but once you've entered the circle with someone, it's very important that you do not make any noise. Silence is important, and as you burn each of your herbs with your partner, you'll find that the smoke forms a barrier that surrounds the two of you. Put your hands together, and focus on the source of your pain. You will share your emotions with the person you're performing the spell with. They will feel everything you feel in that moment, and be able to share the burden without having to speak of or share what caused this pain. With the pain lightened, you will find that the smoke lights up and dissipates up at the top. Whether or not you choose to share with your newfound partner... well, that's up to you, but they sure are going to know how you're feeling right now, and that definitely wasn't warned about when you were asked to join the healing circle. MOD NOTES: • All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, but this post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads, but should not top-level comment on this post. • If your application is accepted, you may accept TDM threads as game canon as long as both players consent. Characters may begin threading as soon as their journal is accepted to the communities. •If nothing here tickles your fancy, try one of this month's Quests for your TDM prompt. • The first "Arrival" prompts are present on every TDM, but contain seasonal tweaks for flavor. All other prompts will change monthly. • Questions about this TDM's content? Comment here! If you have a question about the game at-large, please head over to the FAQ.

Comments

[sciencerebel]

"Technomancy, huh? That's perfect for you. How are you finding it?"

Now, that's something she's eager to see in action. She wonders if it's anything like her nanites - only magic. She'd never imagined a fusion of magic and science, but technomancy sounds like exactly that.

"We were leaving the Library of Alexandria on the Sunchaser and then Launchpad accidentally opened the back hatch and we were free falling. Why?"

[doctorintern]

“It’s been good. I kind of have an easier time with it than my Elemental magic.”

But he’s getting off topic. He turns her words in his mind, frowning deeply.

“Gandra, I...I don’t think you and I are from the same point in time.”

[sciencerebel]

His frown gives her pause.

"Oh? What's your last memory before arriving here?"

[doctorintern]

“Uh...well the last thing I remember was being in Tokyolk with Dr. Gearloose, Huey, and Boyd.” He hesitates a moment, before glancing at her. “But the last time I saw you was...when we first met.”

[sciencerebel]

Pardon her while her beak drops open and her eyes widen. She flushes a brilliant shade of red as she realizes that this wasn't just Fenton being his usual adorably dorky self. In light of their timeline differences, this was incredibly awkward. Mortifying, even.

It takes her a few moments to gather her words.

"Oh. Um. Well then." Even then, she needs a few moments longer to string together something that's actually coherent.

"In my point in time, we're dating and have been for a while now. I quit F.O.W.L. and I've met your mother."

She has plenty to fill him in on, but those seem like the most important details for him to know - especially in light of the way she greeted him.

[doctorintern]

He makes a slight choking sound. “Y-You met M’Ma? How did that go? What did she say? Was it okay?”

Probably an odd takeaway from all that, but he only really knew about F.O.W.L. right now from what Della had told him, and he kind of assumed that, at least at Gandra’s point in time, they were dating judging by how she greeted him.

[sciencerebel]

"We met in the virtual reality cloud you and I created to conduct experiments without hurting anyone. Mark Beaks tried to hack it and steal it, but you were able to get a message out to Huey and he brought in Dr. Gearloose and your mother. We kicked Beaks' butt virtually together."

She smiles fondly, both at the memory, and at all of the potential the project had. She'd been so anxious about it's imperfections, and about not being good enough, but it turned out well in the end.

"Your mother was impressed with our work and she invited me to dinner. We haven't had that dinner yet, but yes, our first meeting went fine."

[doctorintern]

He blinks at her for a moment, trying to take in the explanation as best as he could. Honestly, he isn't sure which is more surprising; the fact that they had been building something together (a virtual reality cloud?), or the fact that his mother actually likes Gandra.

"...Oh! Well, that's good!" A part of him is relieved, but now he's just worried about what dinner with just him, his mother, and Gandra would be like. "What was that about a virtual reality cloud, though?"

[sciencerebel]

"We worked on it together so that we could push the boundaries of science without any risk of anyone getting hurt. It's the perfect way to test things and experiment in a safe environment before performing tests on projects in the real world."

That way, the riskiest problems could be solved well before an official prototype was built.

"I was using F.O.W.L.'s resources to get it up and running with you, and I tipped you off whenever they wanted me to steal something so that Gizmoduck could stop me."

[doctorintern]

He takes in a breath, his eyes widening with excitement. "Oh! So people would be able to run experimental simulations in a virtual space to work out any flaws or errors! That's ingenious!"

It's an exciting idea, made more so by the fact that she'd mentioned they were working on it together.

"So you're acting as a double-agent?" From his point of time, he hadn't run into F.O.W.L. yet, and only knew what Della has told him about it, as well as Gandra's part in it. Hearing her side of it does leave him feeling a little relieved admittedly, but there's also a bit of concern there.

[sciencerebel]

"It's honestly the coolest thing I've ever worked on," she admits. "I'm glad I was able to work on it with you. Dr. Gearloose was impressed with it, by the way. He helped us fix the minor glitches."

Might as well mention that bit of good news. It's something that he can look forward to, whenever they're able to return home to their respective timelines. She'd worry more about the consequences of telling him the future if it wasn't for the fact that he was already familiar with the idea of coming from different points in time.

"I was, and then I quit F.O.W.L. altogether. Bradford took that poorly and had me imprisoned, but I was rescued."

[doctorintern]

"Really? Even Dr. Gearloose liked it?" That's certainly an accomplishment, and probably the first time Gyro has liked something he's worked on. "It must be incredible then!"

Getting to create something with Gandra that will help fellow scientists, and approved by Gyro? It sounds like an amazing dream.

"O-Oh...! Well, uh...it's good that you were rescued." He pauses a moment. "...did...I help rescue you, at least?"

[sciencerebel]

"You've got a lot to look forward to, Suit."

Might as well at least give him the good news. The time differences are more of a complication than even winding up here is, and she's not sure of exactly where Fenton's going to want to go from here. But at least the conversation is going well.

"You did. F.O.W.L. was enacting their big plans, so it wound up being a huge adventure. The Sunchaser was pretty full when we were all leaving."

[doctorintern]

"It sure sounds like it." In regards to both the adventure and the promising future she describes for him. "I'm glad I was able to help you, though..." He pauses. "Uh...will...help you?"

Time shenanigans make things so complicated.

Even more so since he isn't entirely sure where to go from here. While he is delighted to know that he and Gandra do end up dating, she is currently used to a different Fenton. She already knows him a little more than he knows her apparently, and while he wants to get to know her, he worries that that would be a bit awkward. Would it just be like reestablishing their relationship, or forming a new one? Is that even something that she wanted to do? Is that something that he wants to do?

Maybe he was overthinking things a little. She did just arrive recently, so maybe there was time to figure those things out later.

So, after a moment, he clears his throat. "So, uh...How have you been adapting to this place so far?"

[sciencerebel]

Gandra already has a pretty good idea of what she'd like in a best case scenario, but as for what actually happens? That's up in the air, with both time shenanigans and being in a strange world to throw a wrench into things. The subject change is a welcome one.

"Well, I've got one of my magic types figured out so far, so that's something. Healing is useful. Not what I would have guessed, but I can't complain."

She still has a lot to sort out for herself here, and hopefully Fenton will be able to offer some helpful suggestions. At the very least, she knows she can trust anything that he says is suggested with only kind intentions.

"I'll have to get a job. No idea where to start with that in a place like this, though."

[doctorintern]

He grins a little. "Healing is definitely useful, especially around here. There's a lot that can go on."

He will most certainly do what he can to help out.

"Well, there are plenty of work opportunities here. Though it does lack a lot of science-based ones." He can't help a slight face at that. "The technology here is also a bit different because of the use of magic, but there are a few places that to learn more about magitech. There's also an app that offers different quests to earn money."

He hesitates for a moment, then laughs a little.

"And if all else fails, you could try becoming a social media influencer."

Given their history with Mark Beaks, that would be pretty ironic.

[sciencerebel]

That gets a laugh out of Gandra. "Now that's a job I never imagined myself having."

Imagining the dramatic tantrum Mark Beaks would have if the two of them managed to get more popular on social media than him almost makes it worth it for that alone. But while the image of Beaks being sent off to another world where he can't bother people is a good one, she'd rather he not wind up on this one.

"In order to be good at healing, I could probably stand to brush up on biology from a more medical standpoint."

While experimenting on herself required a solid understanding of biology and biochemistry, the end goal hadn't been to cure or treat ailments. Medical science is a branch she admittedly doesn't know as much about. No time like the present to remedy that. She's not exactly sure what will be available to read, but if they have smartphones, she's optimistic there will be something useful.

[doctorintern]

He chuckles a little, pulling out his phone. "Neither did I. And yet..." Flipping his phone around, he shows Gandra his Youtube page.

If Mark Beaks ever showed up in this world, he'd have even more of a reason to hate Fenton.

"Actually, I think there are classes they offer here for us to learn the different types of magic. They might offer some lessons on biology for the Healing classes."

[sciencerebel]

"A scientist, a superhero and an influencer, huh? Not bad at all, Suit," Gandra says approvingly. "You must be keeping pretty busy around here."

She's curious as far as how much he's utilized the Gizmoduck armor and if it still works properly here, but she supposes that if he's got technomancy, he'd have been able to adapt it accordingly.

"I'll make sure to check it out, and hopefully it won't take too long to figure out what my secondary magic is. Ideally it won't be something that I'll hate."

[doctorintern]

He chuckles. "Thanks. And yeah, I guess I have been pretty active around here. Although it helps that I can combine doing science with being an influencer, and earning some money for it. Otherwise it'd probably be more difficult to manage."

He probably still would have done it, if that had been the case. He probably just would've been sleeping a lot less.

"It shouldn't take too long. The second magic type is generally a little more difficult to use, but you should discover it pretty soon. Hopefully it'll be a good one."

[sciencerebel]

She's already spent some time playing around with her phone since her arrival, learning where all the apps are and how they work.

"Aaaand subscribed. Looking forward to seeing your latest video."

If nothing else, her healing magic could probably be monetized. She's not going to refuse people in dire need treatment if they're unable to pay, but for everyday cuts and bruises? The convenience of being healed in a matter of minutes versus dealing with discomfort would surely be worth a bit of money.

[doctorintern]

"Aw thanks! Hey, maybe you could be in a video sometime? We could work on an experiment together!"

It would probably go better than their first date, at least.

[sciencerebel]

"That sounds great! Give me a little time to get used to how the technology works here so I can properly contribute and you're on."

She nearly called it a date, but until she's sure of what he wants, it's probably better to just reconnect as scientists first. Not that it'll stop her from a little flirting to make him blush now and then.

[doctorintern]

That's definitely something they'll probably have to talk about at some point, but he definitely wouldn't mind getting to know her better. After all, his only memory of her was their first date.

But hey, if something did happen, he wouldn't be opposed.

"Sure thing! And if you need any help with anything, you can always call me. I'll be happy to help out."