avalaughs | TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 3

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TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 3

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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 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 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.

Everyone needs a little fun from time to time; the locals have put together the annual Snow Games. As with all things Avalonians plan, magic plays a part in the competition. There will be three separate tiers for characters to enter. Each Tier will have its predetermined track or ring, set up and ready to go.

A ⦿ Foot Races

three-legged race

B ⦿ Sled Races

magically driven sleds

C ⦿ Snow Chicken

Snow Chicken, Magic Vs Yeti Style... This competition will differ from the previous two; it is not a race to the finish line but instead a competition to be the last team standing! Participants will pair off and one person will climb on the shoulders of the other and try to wrestle their opponents off without getting knocked off themselves. The field is full of snow, with more coming from the sky. Your opponents will be Yeti. Try to stay on, Yeti are no slouches so teams will have to work together using their magic not only to stay put but to knock your big-footed opponents to the ground.

Just... be wary, these friendly yeti are surprisingly big on hugging as a form of congratulations. It's much more challenging to escape from a yeti's embrace than it is to knock one over.

Trumpets hail an announcement by the town crier in front of the castle. More than a few people pull out their phones to record it and post it to the AOL network for all to see.

"Hear ye, hear ye! Our noblest of lords, King Arthur of Camelot, will host a tournament on this January the 20th on castle grounds. All are welcome to participate in competitions to determine those most skilled in both the physical and magical arts. In preparation for the upcoming tournament, we are sending envoys to Celliwig. In Celliwig lies the Magic Mirror of the South, gifted to Camelot by the Fae, and a means to communicate with their royal court at will. It is a vastly important task in your journey to become magicians and to show your good will toward the fairies. Parts of the mirror's frame have been damaged. We will need those brave of soul and pure of heart to retrieve the crystals needed to repair the mirror. Those interested, the party leaves at dawn."

A ⦿ Brave of Soul

The first stop on the trip to restore Celliwig's Mirror is to a cave just north of Albion's White Cliffs. No longer a part of the cliffs themselves, this outcropping goes underground and to a dank, dark cave. It is the only place which a special prismatic crystal grows. The crystal itself is hidden deep in the cave, which can only be passed by passing into a zone in which magic cannot be used. Characters will enter the cave and must face an illusion of one of their greatest fears. Those frozen in fear will pass out and wake up outside of the cave with no crystal. Those who run will find themselves turned out of the cave as well. Only those who recognize and face that fear deep in their soul will find the path forward. The fear will turn into a small light spirit, which will smile and reveal to them the crystals they seek.

B ⦿ Pure of Heart

The second stop is past a shanty town and at the bridge north of it. The bridge itself is broken, only the ends in existence. The water itself is impassible, white rapids sweeping away anything that steps into it. Silver crystals are on the other side of the bridge, visible in an outcropping from where they are, but it appears there is no way around as magic does not work on the bridge. The only clue as to how to get across is a plaque in the dirt before the bridge.

"The pure of heart will form the bridge with a leap of faith."

Since everyone has gone as a group, it will be possible to see others walking over the water once one person figures it out. Though the clue may seem challenging, it is quite straight-forward. Characters who are pure of heart will find that if they believe in themselves, they will be able to step off the bridge and hardlight will form beneath their feet to allow them to step over the water. Those with ill intentions or those who are willing to harm others to get their way will slip into the rapid waters and may need to be saved by other characters. At least you're off the bridge, so magic will work to that end.

C ⦿ Celliwig, the Splendored Court

As the travelers leave the bridge, they turn toward the shanty town-- wood shacks and failing farms. Not a place anyone would want to visit. Those who try to run ahead will find that it disappears as if an illusion, and they will find nothing. Those who stick with the party will wait a fair distance away until the sun sets. Once the sun begins to fall beyond the horizon, the small town will begin to shimmer brilliant whites and colors-- a glamour hiding its true glory, a city made solely of crystals and glass: Celliwig, the Splendored Court. Though smaller than Camelot, every part of the city is beautiful and glistening. The population is small and it's very quiet and serene for a city. The people of the city don't seem keen on speaking to outsiders, and will typically scatter before anyone can really engage them. They seem humanoid in nature, but not entirely human. Even the animals around the city seem to be ethereal in nature, gliding more than walking.

The party is led to a hall at the center of the city-- the hall of mirrors. Those who have succeeded in obtaining crystals need to bring them and set them on a table placed before a mirror at the end of the hall, which appears to have a number of empty settings. It's unclear what happened to the mirror previously, but now it's necessary to restore it to garner the favor of the fae.

Once crystals have been delivered, people will be free to explore the quiet city, but it seems most of the city is closing shop while the visitors are around. There is a restaurant that will serve visitors food, though all of the dishes are of the molecular gastronomy variety. Alcoholic drinks seem to come in vapor form and flashes of light if ordered, but seem effective nonetheless. The local general store seems to be willing to sell supplies to weary travelers as well, but that's about it.

...That said the inn doesn't seem particularly keen on allowing visitors in strangely, so you're either going to be sleeping on the iridescent streets or camping just outside the city if you prefer the soft grass and the darkness of night. Just be aware, if you leave, you won't be able to get back into this mysterious city so easily.

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.
• Note that the third prompt in this TDM will have consequences on the game's progression. After the application round, a poll will be put up to see how many characters who are in the game, both new and old, are able to obtain the crystals from the Brave of Soul and Pure of Heart prompts.
• 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

Arrival

A: AGGRGGRBBLPB!!!

[Pico was... not having an easy time. She hadn't exactly experienced the whole living, breathing, human thing in a very long time, and she'd sort of died before she ever learned how to swim. The lady of the lake and the friendly neighborhood turtles basically had to work double time for this little girl, and she's left gasping and panting on the shore.]

Do... Dolly? Where's Dolly?

[And... that's pretty much all anyone can get out of her for the first few minutes.]

WHERE! IS! MY! DOLLY?!?!?!

[Yup... she's definitely not happy.]

B: Bleh... I forgot how... bleh... being alive feels.

[She seems to have finally gotten over the whole Dolly debacle, but she's looking a bit squeamish while riding in the caravan. This is made a lot worse whenever she tries to use her magical rectangle she's told is a phone.]

Urrrgh... I don't... I don't like it...

C: Hnnnngh! Rrrrrrgh! Hiiiiiinnnnngggh! DANGIT!

[There is a little girl trying her best to flap her arms as if it will somehow magically make herself fly, or taller, or something, and she's staring longingly at a jar of cookies just out of reach.]

Come on you! It's bad enough that I don't get to go through walls, or fly, but I can't even enjoy something simple about being alive like cookies?! Come! To! PICO!

[Aaaand now she's jumping up and down, trying to reach said jar of cookies that once again, are too high up for someone of her size to reach.]

Grrr, GRRRR!

Snow Games

A: BWAHAHAHA!!! Beware puny mortals! For the time has come for the ultimate team up of Pico and [Insert character name here]! Now! Let us sally forth and-!

[Aaaand she trips and falls on her face because she totally forgot she's tethered to her partner, and they're probably bigger than she is.]

DOH!

B: Not a bad choice picking me as your partner you know~! I may be new, and I may not be the best at my magic, but I'm super lightweight and smart! Together we can totally win this race!

[Pico is feeling actually surprisingly enthusiastic about this particular challenge. Back in Selphia they had festivals and challenges, but racing was never one of them, and she actually was able to feel the wind on her face and the rush that came from a sled race!]

I'm working with the best magic of all for racing though, Kinetic! I'll speed us up, or slow down our foes, or push aside any obstacles, just you wait!

[She uh... probably will only be able to ever so slightly do any of those things because she barely understands the basic concepts of how to do things with magic here so... good luck.]

C: KYAAAAA!!! THIS WAS A BAD IDEA, BAD IDEA!

[Oops... Pico was not used to being alive and having giant yeti coming at her and her partner. She could feel the ground tremble, she could feel the cold snow, and she could feel her tiny limbs grappling her buddy as she tries to stay on their shoulders. She's not super cowardly or anything since dying isn't exactly that big a deal to her, but she doesn't like getting other people hurt!

She's pretty tiny, so easy to carry around the playing field but... she's also relatively useless.]

HEY! MISTER YETI! LOOK OVER THERE, A DISTRACTION!

[Oh look she used her kinetic magic to try and throw a snowball at the back of its head... maybe it's distracted?]

Mirror Mirror

A: Aww, not again!

[Pico is just stamping her foot angrily at the sight before her. It's apparent that nor much scares this girl, but what little does, annoys or angers her more than it scares her.]

Dolly snap out of it already!

[She's stomping over and... kicking whatever illusion is there, which seems to make it dissipate into a small little light spirit.]

Wait you're not Dolly... Oh. Okay.

[So... I guess she wasn't terribly afraid?]

B: AGGRGGRBBLPB!!! NOT AGAI-bbrrbbblll

[Aaaaaaaand Pico fell into the rapids and is drowning... a little help anyone? She was quite full of confidence that she was pure of heart, all she had to do was think of Dolly and surely anyone could realize she had only the most pure and wholesome intentions.

...

Obviously the universe did not agree with this assessment.]

C: It's so... pretty.

[Pico is just... poking her nose into all the things throughout the city. She eventually passed her trial of pure of heart, and was able to find her way to the lost crystalline city where she is trying her best to befriend the local populace despite their shy or unfriendly nature.]

Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt ya! See? I'm just... well... a little girl! Boop.

[She tries to reach out to poke one of them with a dainty finger, but they scurry off before she can make contact, and she pouts.]

Wait up! I just wanted to be friends! [siiiiiiigh] I guess Dolly is the only one who will ever fully understand me.

Shut up. You're too noisy by half.

[Dolce is freezing and basically curled up in a ball of woe and ice and trying to warm up enough to get moving. She's so busy freezing, in fact, she hasn't even realized that Pico isn't ghostly yet.]

Dolly!

[Pico is just going to glomp onto Dolce, and try to help her keep warm with her own body heat... now that she actually has body heat that is.]

I was worried when I didn't see you... and when I was drowning.

[Priorities, Pico has them.]

Are you okay? Should I find you a blanket? Or another potion from the water lady?

[Pico is nuzzling Dolce, a feeling that feels much warmer than it even did when she was a ghost. Dolce always was her tether to the land of the living before, so she could always feel her more physically than anything else, but now she felt somehow isolated from that connection that had always been there before. She wasn't bound to her anymore which is what caused her to scream and panic in the first place, so the physical contact helped calm her rattled senses.]

You were drowning?

[Hyperbole, she assumes.] It's fine. [Huffy sigh.] Except for my silk hat. That's too easily damaged by water. I'll have to take extra care of it tonight.

[Pico's eyes widen, remembering the unpleasant sensation of water everywhere.]

Yes! Milady, I think something has gone horribly wrong! Look! Haaaaaaahhhh...

[She's exhaling on Dolce which steams in the cold winter air.]

Am I... a dragon?

[What? No you're not a drag- You know what? Let someone else explain it.]

[At first Dolce was honestly just... tuning Pico out. Look, you live with a loli ghost for ages, eventually her endless prattle gets predictable, okay! But then the dragon thing and the fact that Pico can warm the air with her breath sinks in.]

[With mild alarm.]

What?

[She holds up hand and moves it to pass through Pico. Although Pico could be ... somewhat tangible, she was never actually SOLID before!]

WHAT?!

[She's normally more cogent than this, she promises.]

Pico, are you alive?!

Ow!

[Did Dolly just poke her in the head? Well okay she was probably just trying to confirm that she was solid rather than poke her hard or anything, but she normally wouldn't feel anything like that unless Dolce was trying really hard to chastise her.

...

Wait... say what now?]

EHHHHHHHH!?!?!?!

[She's not some sort of ghost dragon?! She's alive?! Well that would certainly explain the drowning, and she sort of thought she might be and was trying to draw Dolce's attention to this fact, but all the ramifications of what that entailed were starting to sink in.]

Am I... a real girl now?

[Because clearly she's Pinocchio to Dolce's Geppetto]

Did you wish very hard? [Deadpan. She forgot to add "On a star."]

I only wished to make you happy. Why, what did you wish for this winter?

[She's gonna stick her tongue out at Dolce, because the 'Christmas' festival in Selphia did involve wishing upon a star. So maybe this was the answer to both their wishes if this was something Dolce wanted.]

Not this.

[Sorry Pico, but 1) you can't tell your wishes or they won't come true. And 2) This is not her idea of a good thing.] Pico, listen to me, you're going to need to learn to be careful. It's been a long time since you were solid. I don't want you to get hurt running into walls because you forget.

[Psh! She can tell Dolly anything! She said so, so clearly it must counteract the festivals silly rules!]

Oh! I forgot about that!

[She kind of figured it would be sort of like a fun game where she pretended... but uh... this was non stop wasn't it? Welp... this was gonna take some getting used to.]

Wait, does this mean you won't be throwing me at your enemies anymore?

[She's gonna kind of miss that. Maybe if they practiced they could find a way to make it work.]

[Soft smile.] I think we can still find a way to do that.

[Maybe just less literally now?]

[Or would it be more?]

Dolly... I'm a little scared.

[There wasn't very much that could scare Pico but you know... being alive was kind of a big game changer. Dying wasn't that big a deal, but living?]

What's going to happen to us?

[She wasn't bound to Dolce anymore to keep her existence. Did that mean she'd leave her someday? Pico is just... gonna cling a little harder to her fashionable bff/soulmate/former haunting buddy.]

Look on the bright side... I'll be able to physically wear all those neat clothes you make for me now?

[She was trying to stay optimistic, but she was very... rattled about being alive again.]

[Are you SURE they're not bound? Because as far as Dolce can tell, they are definitely still mind-linked. She'd just been about to say that!]

Don't worry, everything will be fine, Pico.

Mm. I'll need to make you more. You can't go around in just one outfit, people will talk. [They will anyway, but at least it won't be in the same way.]

[Everything was definitely going to be fine if Dolly said so, so Pico was feeling much better about everything and giving Dolce a proper hug.]

I think you don't have much in the way of spare clothes yet either milady. You'll certainly have your work cut out for you, won't you?

[Which was... just the way Dolce liked it really. Give her an afternoon of doing nothing but knitting, sewing, and drinking tea with cakes or flan, and she was a happy Dolce.]

That's fine by me. [Yes, see? Totally still brain-linked!!!] Starting with proper winter wear. This is fine for Autumn, but not snow.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 3

Pico | Rune Factory 4

Arrival A

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