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

Well...

[He looks at the horns - he hasn't seen anything like that before, but... Maybe it's normal? It seems rude to assume it's not, so maybe he shouldn't look at them... What if that's rude?]

Well, I've never been sledding before at all, so... You still know more than I do.

[Which... Is probably not a good thing?]

I know some healing magic so it should be fine if we fall off?

[He does not sound certain at all.]

[Lucy doesn't miss the way he takes a second too long to stare at her horns, but there doesn't seem to be any hostility in the man's stare. Since he doesn't ask about them, Lucy doesn't bring them up (at least for now).

As for the comment of never having gone sledding before, Lucy just assumes he lived in an area where there was little to no snow.

She smiles wryly.]

It should be. Getting flung off a sleigh definitely wouldn't be the worst injury I've ever received.

[A memory flashes in her mind then, about the worst injury she's had so far. Out of nervous reflex, she grabs her own wrist, but tries to hide her nervousness by pretending she meant to have her hands resting against the front of her body.]

And unless they've got really aggressive animals where we're going, we probably won't have to worry about getting mauled by the wildlife. I've only seen deer, rabbits, foxes, and other small woodland creatures so far.

[Please excuse her dark humor.]

[You could say there was no snow, yeah, but he's not about to bother her with information that's... Largely unnecessary, he's decided. All that matters is he doesn't know anything about sleds but he can ostensibly patch them up if they suffer any scrapes.

Anything else about him is utterly irrelevant, or he's going to hope that's how it remains.]

...I'm not sure that's reassuring, depending on the kinds of injuries you've had before.

[He's not exactly looking for scars, but he knows that you can suffer brutal injuries and not have any scarring at all depending on whatever it is that's patching you back up. He shifts, tugging at the hem of his sleeves for a moment, before pushing on.]

The wildlife seems much less dangerous than the familiars people have around. [...Well, okay, her dog(?) seems pretty calm, but the vaguely cat-shaped shadow with eyes he hasn't bothered counting is a bit more unnerving to him, personally.] So mauling is probably lower on the list compared to frostbite.

[She shrugs.]

It's just the way I joke. Don't take it too seriously.

[And wow, frostbite? While that technically is possible, that's definitely not the first thing that comes to mind when Lucy thinks of a sleigh ride. Was this guy a hypochondriac?]

Err... I don't think frostbite should be that big of a concern. Usually with events like these, they have emergency medical teams standing by just in case. They might have some of those Everwarm potions on hand. Anyway, I'll be right back with a sleigh. Come on, Setsuko.

[The last part is addressed to her hainu familiar, which is about the size of a Golden Retriever. It doesn't take the two long to return, with Lucy pulling the sleigh behind her.

Oh, right. She still has to introduce herself.]

I know it's a little late for introductions, but I'm Lucy. Then I've named my hainu here Setsuko.

[She pets the dog's head, making Setsuko close her eyes in relaxation.]

Oh. Right. Hah...

[That is not the best attempt at a laugh, but he looks thoroughly embarrassed for a moment. He feels like he should have a better read on people, but he hasn't quite managed it yet.]

Well, if the emergency teams are turtles again, it might still be best to be prepared for the worst case scenario.

[...That is also not the best attempt at a joke.

He waits patiently while they go to fetch the sleigh, and when Lucy returns he's crouched next to the not-cat, petting it gently.]

...Oh! Nice to meet you, Lucy. I'm... [He pauses, as if searching for an answer.] Kaede! And this is Ace.

[Ace purrs happily, blinking three eyes at Lucy and Setsuko.]

[The comment about the ice turtles had actually gotten a dry guffaw out of Lucy. Still, being the animal lover that she is, she thought they were cute and lovely to look at, despite their lack of speed.

Back to the present moment, the pause makes her lift a brow, but it's too soon to be asking questions. What's even more surprising is the name Kaede, and she's unable to stop both brows from raising up high, though she's quick to regain her composure.]

Kaede, huh? I knew someone like that once before in my world. Is your form of Kaede also after the maple tree? Or does it have a different meaning?

[Because Kaede can also be a Japanese name, Lucy assumes that this Kaede is from Earth, or some parallel version of it.]

And hello to you too, Ace.

[Are the three eyes weird? Yes. Are they different? Absolutely. But, Lucy isn't as creeped out as she should be. Even with the additional eye, she still finds the cat(?) cute in an odd sort of way. Plus, with her horns, she'd be a hypocrite if she rejected it. She bends down and slowly reaches out a hand to give Ace a pet as well, hoping he doesn't scratch her.]

[There's a moment of relief at the laugh - it means he's not handling this as poorly as he could be! - but it doesn't quite reach his face.

At the recognition of the name he looks surprised, before his face goes sheepish.]

I have to admit, I'm not really sure what it means.

[There's something sad in his voice, but he shakes his head. No point dwelling on people who are long gone, who said the name "suited" him without explaining what it means.]

I know it's not an uncommon name where my... Parents come from, but I was raised far away from there and never learned the language.

[There's that pause again, at the mention of his parents.

Ace sniffs at Lucy's hand, before seeming to deem her acceptable and butting his head into it. His purrs tick up to "motor like", pleased with the attention.]

Oh, so you were raised abroad then?

[She notes the pause after the mention of his parents. There's some kind of story here, but she's not about to stick her nose into someone else's business, so she tries to wave this part of the conversation off casually.]

That's fine.

[Though she does find it kind of weird that his parents never taught him at least some of the language, but that's not a conversation for now. She rubs her fingers against Ace's cheeks before withdrawing to get on the sleigh.]

Since you've never ridden a sleigh before, I guess I'll steer?

Yeah, yeah. Pretty far away.

[But he's not about to give a geography lesson.

He's relieved when she waves away the conversation, not realizing how... Stressful it was. He knows it doesn't have to be stressful, that there's no way she knows about... Who and what he is or that she would even care about it, but.

Well.

He's nervous.]

Yeah, that might be for the best. I wouldn't want us to end up in a tree.

[He hesitates, scooping Ace up before getting on the sleigh after her. Ace settles on his shoulders, and he really hopes he doesn't get scratched.]

[Setsuko takes to the air, hovering above the sleigh with every flap of her great wings.]

From what I was told, this thing runs on our magic, and the more we put into it, the faster it'll go. Except they didn't explain how exactly we're supposed to do that, so... I guess we could start by trying to focus our magic on the sleigh?

[She can't think of any brighter ideas right now. To experiment, she tries to imagine herself feeding her magic energy into the sleigh.

It inches forward a little.]

Huh, what d'ya know.

Oh, that shouldn't be too hard, then...

[He's not experienced with much, and it's new magic for him, but... It wouldn't be the first time he's been asked to channel magic into something else.

When the sled scoots forward, he nods to himself.]

It probably goes faster with two different magics going on, so let me...

[He closes his eyes - a habit he's realizing he's going to need to break really quickly - and focuses on where he can feel this new magic and where his body is touching the sleigh.

It scoots forward again in response, and he nods again.]

So, now we do it together?

Yep. Hold on tight, and be ready to lean left or right when I tell you to. Let's go on the count of three. One... Two... Three!

[And they're off! The sleigh moves much faster with their combined magic being fed to it. Lucy just wishes she had something to cover her face with since some of the snow flies into it, but nothing serious enough to blind her and mess with her steering.

It isn't long before Lucy spots a group of moose up ahead.]

Stop!

[The order is directed at Kaede, so they can (hopefully) slow down in time and avoid a collision.]

[Oh, what - what are those?

He does listen and stops the flow of his magic, the sleigh abruptly halting. (So far the experience wasn't too difficult, and actually kind of fun...! Definitely something he'd like to try again.)

He squints around Lucy, looking at the... Very Large Creatures.]

Uh - those aren't dangerous, right?

They're herbivores, so they won't eat us, but they can be dangerous if we frighten them. Let me see if I can ask them to move. Setsuko, you might want to stay behind. I once heard that moose get nervous when dogs are around.

["As you wish," is Setsuko's reply. She folds her wings and attempts to hide behind the sleigh, trying to hide as much of herself as she can.

Lucy approaches slowly in what she hopes is a non-threatening manner, maintaining what she believes is a safe distance. The moose all turn their heads to stare at her, making odd sounds, but to Lucy they might as well be speaking like humans.]

Hello. I wanted to ask if you could let us through?

[Another odd sound from one of the moose as it asks why.]

There's a race happening right now and you're right in one of the paths. Someone could collide with you and you'd get hurt.

[Yes, she'd be more concerned about the moose's well being than the racers', unless it was someone she was friends with. But her explanation is enough for the moose and they all mosey out of the sleigh's path. Lucy returns to the sleigh, ready to start again.]

Good thing they're not usually aggressive, or I don't think it would have been that easy.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 3

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