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:

Pidge was still shivering slightly as she stood on the beach, arms wrapped around herself and rubbing at her upper arms in an attempt to keep warm. Her eyes were fixed on the water where an ice turtle was slowly assisting a robotic green lion to shore. She wasn't sure exactly where she was, how she'd gotten here, or how Green was suddenly so much smaller (and alive??), but she'd freak out about it after she'd confirmed Green was okay.

When the lion reached the shore she shook herself, sending water flying, and Pidge darted over.

"Hey girl, any idea how we got here? Or where here even is?" She was running her hands over the lion as she spoke, checking for damage that needed repair. "Last thing I remember is being with the others."

After a couple of minutes manipulating Green's joints and ensuring the lion wasn't damaged by the sudden bath Pidge stood up and finally noticed the blue puff ball hovering near her head. It took a few moments of staring for Pidge to realize why it looked familiar, but eventually it clicked and she smiled at it.

"Oh! You're like those little puff things from that trash nebula!" She held out a hand and the creature landed in her hand. "Do you know why I'm here?"

There wasn't a verbal response, but she felt something tug at her, similar to how Green communicated with her, nudging her to start heading towards the staircase she could see at the cliffs.

"Well, guess I better see where I am." Freaking out before she had all relevent information wouldn't help anything after all.

Arrival - C:

After dropping her bags in the room she'd been assigned Pidge had gone exploring with her familiar perched on her shoulder and Green trailing behind her. The springs were tempting, but she'd finally dried off and wasn't interested in getting wet again.

Instead she continued walking around until she stumbled upon the training grounds. She watched for a while as the groups ran through the basics of magic before approaching someone.

"Hey, interested in helping me figure out this whole magic thing?"

Snow Games - A:

When Pidge had seen the foot race, she couldn't help smiling to herself and had joined the line to be assigned a random partner. She and Matt had been pretty good at three-legged races so hopefully that would transfer over.

Eventually she reached the front of the line and stepped up next to her assigned partner, allowing herself to be bound to the other person.

"Hi, I'm Pidge. You any good at these things?"

Mirror, Mirror - B:

Pidge hadn't exactly been awake when she'd joined the group leaving for the competitions, but by the time they'd made it to the second stop on the journey she was finally fully present.

She eyed the bridge, the plaque, and then the bridge again. 'Pure of heart?' What exactly did that mean? The leap of faith part seemed pretty self explanitory, but how did one know or judge if they were pure of heart?

Standing back she watched as others attempted to cross, falling into the water below and having to be fished out by others.

Eventually she couldn't just watch any longer and Pidge moved forward until she stood just on the edge of the bridge. Closing her eyes, Pidge took a deep breath, held it more a moment, and then released it slowly. She was a Paladin of Voltron and fought every day back home to help the people of planets and galaxies far from home. She could do this.

Keeping her eyes closed she lifted her foot and took a step, trusting that she wouldn't fall.

[[ OOC: For those not familiar with Pidge or her canon, she's biologically female but had been presenting herself as male back home. Most characters tend to assume she's male, especially if they aren't particularly inquisitive, but using either set of pronouns is perfectly okay with me, especially if misgendering someone causes you distress. :)

Also, will match either styles if you don't prefer prose. ]]

Edited (edited because the picture wasn't working) 2021-01-08 04:31 (UTC)

Alec had decided to take a long walk around and see what he could see. There were so many thoughts tumbling around in his head about where he was supposed to be and what he was supposed to be doing. And none of it matched being here in wherever this was.

It reminded him of the long walk home he'd taken with Magnus when the warlock had temporarily become human and they'd strolled through the streets of New York city at night. Alec had been pretty quiet then too, debating whether or not to take Magnus on in a relationship.

Eventually though he'd found himself on the beach and folded his arms over his chest. He'd been lost in thought but happened to look up to see a green lion shaped thing shake itself of water and his hazel eyes narrowed. Was that something from the Seelie Queen's realm? He wasn't about to count it out though if that blue ball thing was anything to go by. Could the Queen be here too? Well it wouldn't hurt to find out.

So when the person got closer he took a look at them, the blue puff ball
and the green lion. The person didn't look like a Seelie but he wasn't going to discount anything as he was a stranger in a strange land. And while he wasn't used to talking to people he didn't really know well, he tried to think of what his sister Isabelle would do in this type of situation.

"You ok?"

Edited 2021-01-08 05:23 (UTC)

Pidge jumped slightly at the voice, but plastered a smile on her face as she turned to face whomever had spoken to her. The person in front of her was human, at least as far as she could tell, and considering it had been over a year since she'd seen a human other than her fellow paladins, her brother, or her father it was throwing her for a bit of a loop.

"I'm good." She paused for a second, actually thinking about her answer instead of just responding out of instinct. "At least I think I'm good? This is definitely not the Castle ship or any planet I've been to before, and I have no idea where I am or where my team is," she took a deep breath and pointed at Green. "And she's supposed to be a spaceship as big as a two-story house, not small and autonomous!"

The lion at her side let out a soft grumble which caused Pidge to look over at her for a moment, utter a quick "No offense," and then turn back to the person she'd been speaking to.

"Maybe I'm not actually that good."

Hazel eyes narrowed slightly as he listened to the story about a planet or spaceship. And as the girl in front of him went on, the dark haired head slightly shook. This was nothing that he'd ever heard of back at the Institute and Alec had both heard and seen quite a few things that were beyond belief at times.

The serious look continued and he looked at the lion when indicated, trying to picture it as big as he was hearing. So he sighed and kept his arms folded across his chest. It was weird, hearing her story and mentally he recalled the last time he was at a beach, he was covering Magnus and his sister Izzy was there with them too. He hadn't been able to take out the demon and once Magnus hit it with magic, it had turned into smaller demons that the siblings easily had taken care of.

"Your team might not be here. But if they are, I'm sure they're not hanging around on the beach."

"Do you know where else they may be?" Excitement was clear in her voice and body language as she practically bounced in place. "We get separated all the time admittedly, but I'm not a huge fan of not knowing where they are and if they're here I want to find them as soon as possible."

She lifted her hand to her shoulder so the puffy caterpillar thing could safely perch there and then moved towards her new companion.

"I'm Pidge by the way," She extended her hand to shake his. "It's nice to meet you despite the kidnapping."

The Shadowhunter shrugged and gestured with his head towards the town. "Back at the Inn." This girl in a small way reminded him of Clary and he couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing. He himself had been hoping somehow by wandering he might find more of his friends and especially his family that were traveling with him back in Edom, but none had appeared so far.

His eyes didn't miss the puffball thing on her shoulder but wasn't going to comment on it. There was still so much he didn't know yet and he felt so lost. But none of that showed on his face and he was so used to not being seen.

So when she held out her hand and introduced herself, he wasn't looking to make friends. Still, he could at least be nice and he raised his hand to shake hers politely with a nod.

"Alec."

Pidge Holt | Voltron Legendary Defenders

Arrival A

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Snow Games

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Arrival C

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Mirror, Mirror

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Arrival A

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