TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 15

[avalonmods]

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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. It's a fast process, though they do take their time as they need to go around hitting the ice that keeps forming on the surface with their shells to keep the surface open for the falling arrivals. 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.

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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 and a pair of ear buds and tell them to "Check the Shit Box." The "Shit Box" refers to wardrobe more formally known as the Wardrobe of Finding, a hammerspace-like wardrobe that opens to each person's items and pets when the person touches the handle. It was recently enchanted by Merlin to prevent people from having to fish their waterlogged possessions and pets out of the water with them. From there, Archimedes directs everyone to settle in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and gives 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 a special feature for warm winter drinks like hot apple toddy and butter beer. 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.

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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. Newcomers get free inn rooms for their one night stay on the way to Camelot, containing two twin beds, a bathroom, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a TV equipped with a couple of entertaining video games and movies.   Don't want to relax in the room? Take a dip in the communal hot spring. The waters have restorative properties that help horses and travelers recover quickly. 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.

 

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Last month, players were invited into the fae territories in Elphame for the first time for the Winter Solstice celebrations while King Arthur and Queen Elphame enter talks regarding the next steps toward saving the multiverse. In the meantime, a special camp hosted King Arthur's knights has been created on the riverbank just inside of the Forest of the Felled to act as a midway point for travelers going between the two points.

 

A ⦿ Snow More Cold
	The Forest Camp is quite a stunning outpost for Camelot. Given the snowy, cold weather, the campsites have been built with the knowledge of some of the snowier fae in mind and have resulted in what some are referring to as "Igloo Glamping." Artfully carved out group rooms, dining halls, and storage for supplies, and more have been carved out of snow to create a surprisingly warm solution to keeping safe as a Forest halfway point. Admittedly, it's not the your standard glamp-- but there are TVs, board games, and long fur-lined beds to keep you and four other people warm cuddled up together at night! There's also a snow port-a-potty that you probably don't want to face, but sometimes we face challenges in life. There are also a number of planned activities to keep people out of trouble while they stay.
...Or if they do get themselves into trouble, they can also end up in snow jail, a special igloo built with extremely tough ice stalagmites that will be hard to break out of until authorities can come pick you up and take you back to Camelot.

 

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B ⦿ The Great Avalon Bake-Off
One of these activities is inspired by a surprising store of buried baking supplies like flour, sugar, butter, yeast, and eggs that was found in the forest. It's been there a long while, but it seems to have been protected through magical preservation, so there's really only one thing to do about it: a bake-off! It's a little tricky out in the snow, so outside of the igloos, a trench has been dug and all contestants have been given a campfire. Alchemists have helped by creating clay ovens in the snow for contestants to bake their culinary creations in. The most impressive confections (not just the top scorer) will earn a copy of (Spell) Thirst. This spell can make someone feel thirsty, even if they aren't.

 

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C ⦿ Ingredient Hunt 2022
	The real trick is finding ingredients to make your confection something to stand out and come up on top of the contest, which you may need to wander into the Forest of the Felled to look for. There are a variety of winter berries able to be found, herbs and flowers buried under the snow if you can find them, and most importantly, a couple of truffle bushes from which chocolate and vanilla truffles can be harvested. There are quite a few tasty flavors to be found throughout the forest, and since it hasn't been repopulated yet due to the harsh winter, it's relatively safe to wander around no matter who you are. If you feel like you need protection though, maybe ask around camp to find someone who can fight for you.
Just be wary as there are a few ingredients you can find in the forest that may cause a few unintended side-effects to your taste-testers: Cider Berries: These berries appear to have a fiery glow coming from within. That is because they will temporary cause anyone who consumes them to breathe fire when they exhale for about 10 minutes straight... definitely a problem when you're living in an igloo. They have a great apple-y smell though! Strangler Figs: These fig trees grow around other plants and strangling them as if they were anacondas around prey. They produce the most brilliant looking and tasting figs, even in the winter time. Unfortunately, having been in Avalon long enough, they have absorbed magic into their roots and are now able to defend their fruit by creeping up anyone who touches them and trapping them in their grip. They cannot move while you are looking at them, so don't blink and hope you can outrun them. Little Leeks: These are very, very small leaks that seem to be hanging out in small vials found about an inch beneath the surface of the snow. They all seem to have different faces painted on the front of the vials, though the vials do seem to be a part of their body. The simple faces match the effect you'll get-- a crying face will result in your character having an uncontrollable sob fest, a happy face may make it seem like nothing phases them, some angry eyebrows on a frown could result in your character wanting to fight everyone in a fit of anger, and so on. The most tragic part is that these will continue effecting you until they are fully digested-- so it could take hours to stop bawling.

 

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Back in Camelot and Elphame, trouble is brewing of a different variety.

 

A ⦿ Calls You Daddy
Strange eggs with even stranger tiny legs have started wandering into the city and making their way into peoples' homes. Inn rooms, houses, apartments, tents, tree trunks, igloos, even townships have found residents waking up with a tiny little egg snuggled up to their side to keep warm in the morning.  These eggs act just like babies too-- they cry when they need to be fed (they'll roll around in the food to absorb it), are extremely picky about their food (and each egg has its own unique palette), need to be cleaned after eating, and they need to be kept warm or they will perish.
One touch of an egg to direct skin will result in a parental instinct being imprinted upon whoever touches them, so you may find yourself wanting to care for this egg as much as it wants you to care for it. Eggs come in a variety of colors and designs and will seek out at least two parents, so you may find yourself in an unlikely relationship for the next week or so until they hatch...

 

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B ⦿ Aurora Bearealis
	After about a week, the eggs all seem to be antsier than before. Many of their legs disappear and their colors start to glow gently at night, as if some kind of strange nightlight. Eventually, the top of the egg will burst open and out of it will hatch a slightly oddly shaped bear creature, which looks almost like a living teddy bear. The bears themselves have strange glowing markings that match the outside of the egg that they used to be in, and when they step out, a mysterious flow of light comes out of them- like an aurora borealis. At this point, there are two real problems that have started: Touching the aurora borealis lights will also make you glow with aurora borealis lights for 48 hours. They are bears and they act like bears and they get into everything and fight everyone like bears, except their perceived parents.

 

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C ⦿ Go on, Git. CW: Mentions of poaching, beheading in last paragraph.
	These fierce little aurora bears are causing destruction and pain in both Elphame and Camelot alike, so a decision has to be made: the bears need to be led by their parents and some fighters out to the nearest forest and set free to live in the wild, as they probably were intended to. Those in Camelot who release their bears there will find a heart-wrenching goodbye interrupted by a rather dramatic battle. The natural predator of aurora bears, the flaming lions known as Fogueria, have come out of the Land of Rot to hunt them down. I hope you brought someone with you to help save both you and your beary good friend from this flaming enemy. Fogueria cannot be defeated without using magic, so you've got your battle set out for you!
For those who have taken to Elphame, they are not faring much better. As it turns out, these little eggs have made quite the impression on some goblin poachers released from prison last month. These goblins are hunting down the newly released bears for capture to sell them as circus side-shows, food, and more to more devilish creatures. They love gold much more than they love anything else, except perhaps the fierce beast that accompanies their party to help them devour anyone who would try to stop them: a gashadokuro, a fierce skeletal demon formed of the bones of fallen travelers. It is known to bite off the heads of travelers and drinks blood. You'll have to defeat the whole party to ensure your newly released bears remain safe.

 

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• All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, as the events within are considered game canon. • This post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads and may start their own logs off-post, 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. • The first "Arrival" prompts are usually present on every TDM, but 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.

 

Comments

3

[owarifool]

[ Oh he'd recognize that voice anywhere.

After enough time away, he honestly could say he'd started to miss it. Hell, it brought with it a unique, wonderful spark of a particular joy when that voice was distressed. It was the sort of glee he couldn't really get anywhere else. It was enough to drive him from his igloo, hands kept warm in his pockets, to seek her out. One could call say he was drawn to her like a moth to flame, but it was really more like he was the flame, and her whining was sweet sweet kindle.

... That was kind of twisted, when he thought about it, but hey. That's how it was, right?

He sent Mori to the sky to seek her out, and eventually Okita would see the sparrowhawk land right on her table and give her a curious glance, the first sign something was up before she got her own taste of a familiar voice. ]

Oi, Manslayer, you can't have been here more than a week and you're already losing? That's rough, pal.

[ultradaishouri]

[ The bird confused her a bit... though she'd still been too distraught to do anything about it. Go ahead, mock her! Not like she can understand you anyway, stupid bird!

But, similarly, that voice is plenty familiar... even if a little different from what she's used to. Regardless, though, hearing it in her current state is plenty enough to immediately rile her up. In a moment (though not as quickly as normal since she's still recovering from the cough), she swirls around to face him. ]

Shut up! It's not my fault! Just you watch, I'll just start again! It'll be... eh? Nobbu? NOBBU!?? [ Momentary shock... though very quickly turning into a more curious expression instead. ] Ah, wait, no... Manly Nobbu? You're here?

[ Too fast... things went through her head too fast. First she thought that Nobu was here, but then it turns out it's a different Nobbu... well, at least it's not the Super Cool Nobbu. Manly Nobbu is at least easier to handle... though she could never quite get used to him.

Still, Nobbu is Nobbu regardless, right? Shouldn't be too different... ]

[owarifool]

Would it kill you to use my name, Manslayer? [ Kipposhi smirked, not at all missing the irony in that statement.

He reached forward to poke at her cheek. ] You should probably clean up your mess, though, before you go declaring your intentions for a do-over.

[ultradaishouri]

[ The irony is not lost on her, therefore... ]

Ehhh, nah... Nobbu is Nobbu. I'd consider it if you stopped calling me Manslayer, though.

[ A bit of a fib... so much time spent just lazing around with Nobbu has her comfort levels with her and every version of her too high to not shorten 'Nobunaga' like that. Well, this is the Manly Nobbu, and he goes by Kippoushi right? Kippo? Huh, that would make it a bit easier to distinguish him from the usual Nobbu... since Maou was already just Maou in her head.

Well, something to consider later if at all.

She pouts when he pokes her cheek, batting his hand away. ]

Mou... I know already! I'll get started right awa—

Five minutes left!

Ah...

[ It obviously took way longer than that just to get the first one done. She stands completely still with her jaw dropped before both her head and expression droops. ]

Ahhh... maybe I could fix this one...?

[ Except by this point everyone in the room is aware that she's coughed blood onto that thing... probably already making it way less enticing. ]

[owarifool]

Maybe your judge will be a vampire? Lucky break? [ Kipposhi laughed, his cackle echoing slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest. Well, he could help her, he supposed... putting Okita in an early debt to him could pay off, after all. And while it was surely a minor thing, having something to lord over her... ]

Let's say I could bail you out of this mess, Manslayer. What'd you give me in return, huh?

[ultradaishouri]

As if!

[ She'd be concerned if there was a vampire here! Not that Chaldea doesn't effectively have those already, but still! She already loses enough blood as is, she doesn't need a vampire helping her with that!

More importantly, though, getting bailed out of this mess... hm... ]

Ehhhh... I haven't been here very long, Nobbu, I don't exactly have much... plus I'd rather not end up in your debt over this.

[ Yeah, that's right! She sees through you! You're not so different from the Usual Nobbu after all! Well, actually she can point out plenty of differences, but ultimately this is the kind of thing she expects from you at this point. ]

Besides, how could you bail me outta this?

[owarifool]

I'll show you how if you actually ask for my help. [ Kipposhi smirked again, shrugging his shoulders. In the end, he really was the same as the others, wasn't he? Well, that was probably for the best. ]


Time's ticking, Manslayer. Tick tock.

[ultradaishouri]

Hnn...

[ Well... she's actually a little curious, though she mostly expects that he may be bullshitting. Fine then, let's see whatever he does! And if it doesn't work out then she can lord it over him. ]

Fine, go on then...

[owarifool]

Alright. Try not to have another coughing fit in your surprise... Showtime!

[ Whatever she'd possibly imagined, it very much likely wasn't him lifting his own thumb to his mouth and biting down on it, sudden and rough, hard enough to draw some blood that he sucked up with his lips. Probably... didn't need to make as much of a show of that as he had, but there was always going to be part of him that wanted to see how she reacted.

What came next was... probably not nearly as sexy looking, sure, but just as wild. He turned towards her cake, spitting out that same blood into the mess she'd left on her own cake. Which... seemed to make the problem worse? How was that helping?! ]

[ultradaishouri]

AHH!!

[ So first off, the show of biting down on his thumb is equally both concerning and hot. She'll neeeeever admit to it, she'll take that thought with her to the grave if she has to, but what he does next completely erases the light shade of pink on her cheeks as she suddenly grabs him by the scruff of his shirt and yanks him to face her, a look of indignant rage on her face. ]

WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING!?!?? Even if it's ruined, I put a lot of work into that, you jerk!!!

1/2

[owarifool]

[ Kipposhi let out an undignified squawk when he was jerked towards her. Though she was probably used to Nobunaga being shorter than her, that move was still pretty effective. ]

Calm down! Just watch, will ya? I said it was 'showtime' so sit there and look with your eyeballs, Manslayer!

[ Let him do his cool thing! ]

[owarifool]

[ Regardless, he turned his focus back to the cake, despite how close they were, hovering his hand over it and narrowing his gaze.

After a moment, there was a strange, ethereal glow that seemed to pool out from where his blood had splashed into Okita's own, spreading over the crimson streaks, until the entire thing shined an eerie red. A moment more, and Kipposhi started to slowly fan out his fingers and lift his hand...

... And as if it were attached to unseen strings, and suddenly made of silk instead of the liquid it was, the blood started to lift with his hand, right off the cake, as if it had never touched it at all. ]

[ultradaishouri]

[ It was a little weird having a Nobbu that was taller than her, but height won't save him! He's not Maou! She can still yank him down a peg!

In any case, though, she stops trying to strangle him so he can do whatever he's going to do... but she's still got him gripped so she can strangle him if nothing happens— ]

Eh—?

[ EHHHHHHHHH!?!?

Well, he's free from Okita's grip now as she stares at the now-bloodless cake, completely baffled. ]

EH!? Magic!? Blood Magic!?? You can do that too, Nobbu!?

[ She was told she had Blood Magic way back at the springs... though she hadn't yet been able to do anything with it. ]

[owarifool]

... Too?

[ Kipposhi turned to her with a flat look. She probably knew what was coming next as he balled the blood into a single orb, floating it over into his palm. ]

... Manslayer, if you had this magic, why didn't you use it?

[ultradaishouri]

Ehh... somebody told me I had it, but I havent been able to do anything with it yet...

[ She's tried on occasion to clean up whatever blood she coughs up using it, but the most she's gotten is a few ripples. Proof enough that she does have Blood Magic, but also that she's not the greatest at actually using it yet. ]

I did try, though! I focused and everything, but I couldn't do that!!

[ It was even harder with the cake, actually, since the cake had just soaked up much of the blood. She couldn't move her blood normally, she certainly couldn't do it then. ]

[owarifool]

[ Kipposhi felt a laugh at her expense in his throat, but... what came out was more of a sigh, his unoccupied hand coming to just pat her on the head as he stepped back. The blood he'd taken started to form into a shape, something vaguely like a sakura blossom, before he let it drop to the snow below, a small red stain between them. ]

Alright, alright... It's fine. Consider this a freebie, then.

[ He... wasn't going to lord the favor over her?! ]

[ultradaishouri]

Eh?

[ A freebie...? Seriously? No gloating laughter and putting her in his debt? Seriously, she really messed up here! I mean, her cake is fine now and that's a great victory right there, but still! This is such an opportunity! ]

Seriously? Hm... are you really Nobbu?

[owarifool]

[ Truly, he was passing up a silver platter, but... ]

You should be asking if you're really Okita, with that pathetic display.

[ ... that didn't mean he wasn't Nobunaga.

Using her name, but just to show that he was pitying her, was about as Nobunaga as one could get. ][ ]

[ultradaishouri]

[ She had to ask, you know? For all she knew, this was just an imposter Nobbu trying to win her over with unlikely Nobbu kindness! Though the idea of an imposter Nobbu is pretty skewed now with the various Nobbus that pop up now. ]

Nn... as if you could do better!

[ She says indignantly. Seriously, though, who knows what would happen if Nobbu started baking. Perhaps she was exaggerating it a bit in her head, but there's a little too much fire going on as she plays out that imaginary scenario in her head. ]

Still, thank you...

[ It's still not exactly the greatest of cakes in the room, but still! She put work into it! It's special to her! ]

[owarifool]

When you're the Demon King, people cook for you, Manslayer.

[ Kipposhi chuckled, patting Okita's head again before stepping back and examining the cake now that it wasn't blood soaked. Honestly, while it definitely wasn't going to win any prize, the earnestness in Okita's efforts showed. It would probably... taste pretty great, wouldn't it? ]

And by the looks of this, you might just qualify for a position in my house. Maybe.

[ He did have a weakness for sweets... ]

[ultradaishouri]

Stop that, just imagining it annoys me.

[ Her? A position in his house? Listen, he may have his looks going for him, but absolutely not. Over her dead body, and even more ways of just outright no. ]

So? How long have you been here then?

[owarifool]

Long enough to have left my mark, at least!

[ What a vague way of putting it. ]

Also long enough that you're gonna have to rely on me to learn the ropes, right? Right~?

[ultradaishouri]

Mmhm, I'm sure...

[ She can only wonder what kind of 'mark' he's left... and at no point does she imagine that mark as some kind of good reputation, honestly. ]

Ahh, I guess I have to... magic is hard and this place is super weird.

[owarifool]

I guess that makes you my kohai, huh?

[ Oh no. ]

Good, good! I'll be gracious sempai to you, Manslayer! I'll make sure you're well cared for! [ And he just... bursts out laughing again. ]

[ultradaishouri]

[ OH NO. ]

Yes yes, whatever you wanna call yourself...

[ Because she certainly isn't calling him 'Nobbu-senpai' anytime soon. Besides! Even if not in terms of Avalon stuff, by all means, she's his senpai! She and the usual Nobbu came out before him!

Still... there's something reassuring about this oh-so-familiar back-and-forth. ]