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

Toph appreciates the gesture -- enough to let her find the stairs, and then hands-off. The small badgermole falls in behind her.

"Life's always been rough for you, Zuko. Last thing? Going to bed in my school in Yu Dao."

[OOC: Her canon point is a bit into the comics, and I just realized that makes one of my previous comments make a little less sense.]

It takes Zuko by surprise, and it's clear in his voice, until he trails off into a grumble.

"Your school in Yu Dao? Last thing I remember— I was on Appa with Katara on our way to the Fire Nation Capitol on the day of Sozin's Comet. So you're... from the future for me, I guess. Great. By how long?"

He sounds mildly weary asking. Everyone he'd met from home had been from the future... including two ladies from the very distant future. It's a lot to wrap the brain around, okay?

[ OOC: Makes sense! As you can tell, Zuko's coming with a long time's worth of Prismatica CRAU from right before show's end but please feel free to tell him anything! He's been put in the know by now haha ]

"That was last summer." Toph is new to this otherworldly nonsense, so she might be even more surprised. At least Zuko has familiarity going for him.

He sighs softly, letting her words sink in.

"Okay... That's not so far."

How does he explain time travel shit without fully explaining other otherworldly shit?

"I, uh— I've met other people from our future. Somewhere else. Not home. Azula's years older than me there, and... I met some ladies who knew me as an old man. Oh, and one of them's the Avatar — the next Avatar... Toph. Destiny's crazy, and the universe doesn't make sense."

That is a lot to absorb at once. So Toph latches on to the last sentence. "Destiny is crazy."

Zuko pauses, glancing to gauge her facial expression... There's no way to slice this that makes it easy to absorb. His voice is tentative, speech slow, unsure how to explain this, never having had to before.

"So— Um. For the past five or six months, I've actually been on another planet... Not at home. It had a magic that brought people from many worlds and times across the universe. I don't know how it works. We were all just mysteriously spirited away to this weird city. No one could escape. But there was some proof that destiny was frozen at home, none of us had actually gone missing on their own planets — it was like a side life, like living in a daydream... At first I was alone, except for the women from our future — Asami and Avatar Korra — and later Uncle and Azula showed up... I haven't seen you or anyone else since I arrived there. But— I don't think that's where we are right now... This place is different. I can feel it somehow. Like my flame is gone completely. I don't know where we are, but I have a hunch that something similar's going on... Guess we're about to find out."

They reach the staircase, and Zuko gingerly places a hand on Toph's back to guide her to walk ahead of him up the steps. He'd follow from behind, especially seeing as there's no railing along the cliffside...

"Here. Go ahead. The steps are high, and there's no railing. Looks like a long way up. Just so you know."

It's strange having to tell Toph these things. He's uncomfortable guiding her because he wants to make sure she still feels strong and not patronized to. He hates being patronized himself, knows how viscerally aggravating it is to be vulnerable, how empty it feels to lose one's bending... He knows that Toph's someone who prides herself on being strong and capable and self-sufficient, and without her seismic sense, she needs to be warned about a staircase, which must feel like shit, and Zuko's nervous not to insult her with his want to help. She's from his future, who knows what's gone down. Him and Azula are peaceful in the future, apparently, and presently kind of friends since being on this other planet, so he's not ruling any possibilities out anymore.

"I still have my balance, Sparky," Toph said. She was taking the steps slow, feeling them out as she went. Even if the stone is weirdly opaque to her, the feel of it on bare feet is soothing. Toph knows how to keep her footing on stone, even without earthbending to help.

"Guess if I don't remember you disappearing before you went to go fight your sister, you must not have been gone for long. Which is weird. This is Aang's stuff, not ours."

"R-Right, sorry..."

He follows behind less cautiously, taking in the scenery around them with suspicious eyes because sincerely, where the fuck are they? Also, he hates the cold. Not having a good time here in soaking wet clothes even with the potion they gave them still warming him inside. He lets out an exasperated sigh.

"Yeah. It feels like Spirit World stuff. I wasn't gone at all, that's the weird thing — I was there six months, and I remember it all now like it was any other day of my real life, but when I go home it'll be less than a dream, I'll just wake up the same moment I 'left.' That's what I've been told, at least..."

There's one small thing Toph says, though, that deserves more picking. Azula won't tell him the future. Iroh only told him the happy stuff, that they won the war, drank tea with his friends at his coronation... Asami and Korra told him he becomes an Ambassador for Peace and lives a long, seemingly fruitful life. No one has mentioned his Agni Kai with Azula. Certainly not Azula.

"That day, the day of Sozin's Comet... Azula and I fight? Who won? I mean— I know we won the war, and I'm Fire Lord and we lived happily ever after and all that but... We fought like normal? Or in an Agni Kai? What happened? She wouldn't tell me anything about the future..."

"Okay, so I wasn't there since I was off being awesome and stopping an entire fleet of airships, with Sokka and Suki's help, so keep in mind, I'm just going off what you -- the future you -- and Katara said. And telling you will probably piss Azula off. You cool with that? Because I don't care."

Toph doesn't understand siblings at all but figures it was good to check first. Look at her, thinking of others! She's totally going to use this as an excuse to get Zuko to pay for dinner.

Of course, 'it will probably piss Azula off if you know' indicates it didn't go well for Azula, but details. Which is what she was checking about.

"What wouldn't piss Azula off? Besides, it already happened. Or it's going to happen no matter what. She knows that. So go on."

Zuko knew his sister was manipulating him; taking advantage of his kindness, and his ignorance, and his young age, a new time travel leverage she had over him to use to her own ends.

It just so happened her ends seemed to have drastically changed from the last time he'd seen her at home, when she'd also tried to kill him, so... alarm bells rang all over town when she showed up. He went into full panic mode, called his friends to go into hiding, the works. Until she unwittingly moved in with his friends by sheer chance and started dating one of them, sort of, so that threw a major wrench in his plans to avoid her. Instead... he had to believe her when she said she wouldn't try to kill him or his friends, had to trust her motivations or lack thereof, which he has done many times in his life, and ultimately regretted every one. It took a slow burn to trust her. He still doesn't trust her. He'll never be able to trust her. And he knows that, too. But she hasn't tried to attack him once ever since she arrived to that city several months ago. Largely because for a long time she had no firebending, and neither did he, and both of them were constantly physically and emotionally exhausted refusing to participate in that society's culture, until eventually they had to call a truce to exploit each other's exhaustion mutually — to help each other, as normal siblings might say. That balanced things slightly.

But Zuko looked out for her because... she... can't take care of herself in actuality. Not at home, not there, and not here. She's a princess who only knows how to fight and doesn't know how to make friends and doesn't want to. She can't cook, clean, work normal jobs, and while Zuko can't really do those things either, at least he's been a lot better at convincing people to do them for him because he's likable. And he passes that protection onto Azula, because she's still a human who needs to eat. He's paranoid almost daily still, somewhere in his mind, that this is going to blow up in his face at any time, and he's being just as foolish as any other time in his life to let his guard down around her, if not even more so now because he's self-aware of it.

It's yet to bite him in the ass, though. They've created a weird pact as siblings. It can't be called a friendship. But their stay on that planet, with a good few mysterious years between them that she won't describe, drastically changed their dynamic. Living in a side life they could never have been afforded at home and would never remember at home really put a new spin on things, and it would continue to here. He's fully intending to maintain this relative peace with her as long as he can, even if he knows his friends from home won't understand it and won't want to abide by it, have no reason to want peace with her, that she may have no reason to want it, either. But at this point, he knows that whatever Toph has to say about their fight would piss Azula off not just because she is prideful and vicious, but because they've still found ways to become closer despite that, and she'd be infuriated to know Toph may put that impossible peace at risk. It's far more precious to Azula than it is to Zuko — and maybe that's his own sick power imbalance over her now.

Zuko, however, wants to know the truth. He always wants to know the real truth.

"Right. You go to challenge her to one of those firebending fights. You think you can take her. And maybe you can, because she cheats and attacks Katara and you take the lightning for her. Katara, not Azula. So Katara ends up being the one to take her out. Which worked out."

Because based on what Toph heard, she can't imagine Azula obeying the rules about surrendering, firebending isn't good for non-lethal combat, and she also thinks Zuko couldn't kill his sister in cold blood, or even in hot blood. It's not a skill thing, it's a 'Zuko' thing. Like, he wasn't Aang levels of 'we must find another way', but Toph was the first to admit that family was a whole other ball of complicated feelings in ways that were different than strangers.

"I figured she wouldn't want you to know that it wasn't just that you've improved, but that she totally lost it and then you and Katara kicked her ass. But it's probably a good idea, even if she's..."

Back to the same old Azula? It didn't sound like it. Azula was very hard to read, though. But some of what she'd heard suggested that the Azula Zuko had fought wouldn't have been able to keep up a deception that she could have during the Day of Black Sun, so it suggested she was...

"... feeling better."

The explanation draws a silence from Zuko as they walk together, his eyes drifting to watch his feet climb up each step. Azula was never to be trusted. She cheated in an Agni Kai. How could she? Disrespect their culture's custom that way, as the fire princess? He's not at all surprised, but still... insulted. What's more, that Katara took her out is extremely impressive. He had no idea how things ended with him and Azula that day, and it concerned him almost daily not knowing. But before they were spirited away, back home he'd not seen Azula since she attacked them at the Western Air Temple, possibly one of their deadliest, most dangerous fights. She'd told him she'd come to celebrate becoming an only child. Now it was so different. This Azula clearly didn't feel that way. They'd protect each other now. It's bizarre to imagine what must have happened between the day of Sozin's Comet and the day Azula was spirited away. Years had passed. He understands why she hid this gap, perhaps. But he doesn't understand exactly.

"...I'll have to thank Katara. What do you mean, Azula 'totally lost it?' What happened after the Agni Kai?"

There's a twinge of worry in his voice. He has many things to worry about in his future, he always does. But now something extra to worry about in his future as if it's in his past. Because whatever happens or happened also now affects his present with his sister here in Avalon. He has many things to worry about in his present, too. He always does.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 3

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