avalaughs | TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 3

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TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 3

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⚔️️ Top-Levels Only ⚔️️

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

"As a matter of fact, I do! Why should I treat you any more special than anyone else?"

Instead of sidestepping this time, he smacks her fist aside in a block, still making no actual attempt to fight her back.

"I'm not going to fight some random woman, especially when you're gonna catch a cold if we don't go get help!"

"I'm fine. I don't need your he—"

"— heh —"

"— HATCHOO!!"

"Your dress is starting to stiffen in the cold, so unless you feel like stripping here, maybe it's best if you stop wasting our time so we can find civilization."

He places his hands on his hips.

"Your choice, of course."

"I'm fine. I can still feel that potion warming me to the core." She immediately contradicts herself with a sniffle. It's fine, it's just the droplets of water tickling her nose.

But he's right. And she hates that, but that's not going to make it less true.

"Fine. But don't think you've gotten off the hook for your attitude yet — we'll deal with it once we find somewhere to dry off."

"Do you want to take bets on how long that potion's gonna last? I don't know about you, but being made to drink something by some mysterious magic later doesn't fill me with confidence for whatever the trade off might be, whether it's longevity or something worse."

He rolls his arm at the shoulder and they can both hear the soft popping of his clothes as the thin veneer of ice forming in the cold breaks and the fabric becomes loose again.

"You physically attacked me. I'd call us even. Now are you going to come with me or not? Loud and cranky as you are, I'm not one to leave a woman floundering out in the cold."

Okay, she had wanted him to stop being so rude. But now that he's actually demonstrating that he can be reasonable, that's somehow even more infuriating. Let her be justified in her anger!

The sigh she releases practically hisses with spite.

"Yes, all right. Do you have any idea where we should be heading, though? Should we try asking the actual woman in the water about this? Mysterious or not, she may have just saved our lives."

"Well, if she had any intent on engaging with us, she would have come ashore already. So I'm not holding my breath."

See what he did there.

He looks around in thought.

"Any sizeable body of water like this likely means civilization isn't far. That's assuming this world is populated."

He pauses as he comes to a realization.

"Oh gods tell me this world is populated. If I'm stuck here with just you I'll just walk back into the lake and drown."

She buries her face in her palm.

"Stop it. Of course there are other people here. We already met a woman in the lake, and there seems to be others who are coming out of the water."

Besides, she already did that 'considering walk back into the lake' gag.

"If any sort of settlement is nearby, then perhaps there's a trail we can follow that leads back to it?"

"Well, if there's nothing on the water, then it's likely."

He sighs and starts making his way away from the lake, scanning the horizon for any sort of town.

"Well...there's some good news. Looks like there's an outpost over that way. There you go."

With that, he turns and heads...in another direction. Towards a hill leading up to those white cliffs.

Oh, she doesn't miss that for a moment.

"You are not ditching me already! What happened to 'not leaving a woman floudering out in the cold'? Besides, I don't see anything resembling the start of a trail!"

Sorry, she's still following you.

"Oh my gods..."

He doesn't stop to counter her, he just continues his march up the cliffs.

"I'm gonna say this slow so your massive ears pick up every word: If. You. Go. To. The. Outpost. You. Won't. Be. Outside. Or. Cold. That's what buildings are for! Do Albacores not have buildings?"

"Then why aren't you heading towards it?!"

She hesitates at the bottom of the cliffs. With the water and the cold temperatures, they appear to be quite slick. And there's nothing to hold onto!

"Because I want to get a lay of the land! And for that,I need a vantage point!"

He claps his hands together and jumps, grabbing a handhold on the cliff.

"What, are you such a delicate flower that you need an escort? It's right over there! There's your out! You and I don't have to deal with each other anymore! Go for it! Don't let your dreams be dreams!"

With a huff he turns back and looks for his next handhold.

"Are you completely out of your mind?! Have you not noticed the rime forming on the cliffs?!"

She's a little offended that he's apparently going to kill himself trying to get away from her, okay.

"If it's an outpost, it ought to have some sort of watchtower!"

"It doesn't. It's just a couple of cottages. Maybe a lodge."

He finds another handhold and hoists himself up. He's at least ten feet off the ground now.

"Look, why are you still here? If I want to climb these cliffs to get a vantage point, I'm gonna do it. I'm not asking you to follow me. You have no obligation to me. You could be warming yourself by a fire right now."

"... fine. You're right. I'm leaving." And then, after a beat: "Goodbye."

And she does leave. Or at least, she starts walking away. Until she's relatively sure he's stopped watching her.

Instead, she's just going to watch from a short distance away ~~like a creep~~ because she is going to be so cross if he actually dies trying to get away from her.

"Laaaater."

He turns his attention to the cliff face once more and starts hoisting himself up. Assuming she's gone, he decides he's going to make this climb considerably shorter by using his strength. He lifts an arm and slams his fingers into the cliff face.

Only to immediately recoil and yelp in pain. He shakes his hand emphatically, staring confusedly at the rock first, then down at his quickly bloodying fingertips.

Fingertips that aren't healing.

"Oh..."

"Oh no...you've got to be kidding me..."

"... did you just punch the cliff?"

That's based on the motion of his arm, since she couldn't quite see the position of his hand, to see that he tried to bury his fingertips in solid stone... but hey, that might be to Darin's advantage. Without super strength, the latter would just look even sillier than punching the cliff.

Either way, his headache for the day is storming back over to him. "That's it! Get down from there before you hurt yourself!"

Jolted from his realization and suddenly incredibly defensive, Darin growls.

"What the hell are you still doing here?! Why can't you leave me the hell alone?! Ah?!"

"I heard you cry out in pain!" This is technically correct. The best kind of correct.

She circles around underneath him, anticipating that he might fall. Unfortunately, her need to help others is more important than a lot of her other feelings, including her tendency to hold a grudge. "Will you please come down from there before you injure yourself further?!"

Darin growls in frustration. Without his strength and healing ability, he doubted very much he could scale the cliff face as easily as he thought he'd be able to. And while his stamina seemed to still be fine, it's not something he'd want to chance. Which, sadly, meant he had to concede defeat and come down.

But he did not like conceding to this woman. Which meant he was at a literal impasse.

"I didn't yell that loud! You were still hanging around! What the hell is it going to take to get you to leave me alone?!"

"Perhaps my ears can simply hear better than your stubby ones!"

She's not going to let that drop until the day she dies.

"You can yell at me all you like after you get down from there! If you fall from that height, you might crack your skull open!"

"Yeah you'd like that wouldn't you..."

He grumbles and cranes his head back towards the top of the cliff. If he doesn't have his strength or his healing, there really was a solid chance he could fall and get killed.

So, begrudgingly, he turns and lets go, hopping away from the wall and hitting the sand bar, immediately tucking into a roll. It hurt his knees a bit when he landed, but he'll be damned if he let it show. He springs to his feet and starts dusting the sand off of his still wet clothes.

"There. Happy now? Now will you kindly go to the damn outpost already?"

"If I wanted you to fall, I would have let you stay up there! Now come on. You're coming to the outpost, too."

Because while she still has very little sympathy for the man, it would feel wrong to leave him to get himself killed in some other creative fashion. And right now, she doesn't trust him to do anything less. Especially not after wrecking his own hands.

"Don't make me drag you there."

"Okay, this is getting stupid now. You come ashore and give me grief, I try and chase you away but you follow me, then you attack me, and even after all of that you still won't leave me alone, despite complaining very loudly about me! What the hell gives? And I'm not going anywhere until I get a satisfactory answer!"

To illustrate, he sits down cross-legged and folds his arms, effectively turtling up.

"You get one shot."

TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 3

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