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

[bakudan_bambino]

There’s a saying… that if you want peace, you must prepare for war. My work at home isn’t peaceful.

[And he’s an explosives expert with a bad attitude.]

To be honest, though it was a different Iskandar… you started this relationship.

[He doesn’t seem unhappy.]

Trampling, though? You’re not giving yourself enough credit. It takes much more than that to conquer. Despite looking like you are made of more muscle than brain, I know that you are diplomatic and charismatic.

And wise.

Why not follow you? I have my boss in this world, but he would follow you, too.

[gordianknot]

[Of course he started it; he's unsurprised by that. Getting other people swept up in his impulses is his specialty.]

I should throw you out for such a backhanded compliment. [He laughs, but instead, he drains his wine, then refills both his own cup and Gokudera's.]

I see that you understand me well, and your wish to aid me is sincere. So long as you prove yourself in this world, I will accept you as one of my followers.

[bakudan_bambino]

[Iskandar is always so excitable, he thinks fondly and then blinks honest surprise.]

It wasn’t meant to be backhanded! The you I’d known before was very inspiring. How else could you have so many people stand by your side?

[Gokudera lifts his glass and then shakes his head.]

You want me to prove myself to you? Not gonna happen.

[He chortles into the glass and takes another long drink. It’s been a while since he’s had good wine.]

[gordianknot]

That's for me to be the judge of.

[Even if the 'other' Iskandar approved of him, he wants to make up his own mind if he's proven himself. He watches and drinks his own wine at a more sedate pace, amused. Small wonder he'd been unable to walk when they drank together before, given the pace the boy is going at.]

I will not ask about those other worlds you struggled in. However, what of your homeland? Your name is Japanese, correct?

[bakudan_bambino]

Mnn. Judge all you want, then. Not like I could stop you, even if I wanted to.

[Honestly, Gokudera wouldn’t try to appeal to anyone other than his boss. The Tenth accepts him, and that’s enough.

But Iskandar’s thoughts on them. He almost thinks he’d rather not know. The circumstances here are so wildly different than what they ever were. This Iskandar is… no longer a spirit? Gokudera doesn’t like thinking of him as a human, but understands conquest would be far more rewarding for Rider when on an even playing field with those around him. A worthy endeavor…

He’s swirling his wine and looking down into it.]

Hm? I don’t care if you do. My homeland is Namimori, Japan. But I was born Italian. I’m mixed. [A bastard.]

[gordianknot]

Then we have something in common, of a sort. My mother was not Macedonian.

[And that caused him a certain headache early in his life when it came to succession, though perhaps Gokudera knows that story already. He already seems to know quite a bit about him, so he won't bore him with the details.]

I would like to have seen more of Japan, but I did not have the opportunity, beyond Fuyuki.

[bakudan_bambino]

It’s something I’ve learned to be proud of.

[If he still had his powers, he could demonstrate what his mixed blood allows him to do, how useful he is. He feels a bit useless in this world, even when he truly isn’t.]

You were in Japan? For how long?

[He knew Rider had been to Japan, but never got all the specifics. Never asked enough.]

[gordianknot]

How long? Let's see...

[He looks contemplative. How long was it? At times, the war seemed to drag, with all the other servants and masters too cowardly to take action. At other times, particularly at the end, things escalated in the blink of an eye.]

Around two weeks, all spent in Fuyuki City. [He decides finally, looking at Gokudera.] Had I the means, I would have liked to travel the length and breadth of Japan, and see all it had to offer.

[bakudan_bambino]

That’s not long enough at all… You wouldn’t try to conquer it, would you?

[He swirls his wine, stares into it, then gives a little sigh. This interaction is making him nostalgic, or maybe the alcohol is getting him more in his own feelings. Has he always been this nostalgic?]

Or I guess it would depend on if you were a spirit or not, right? You could do it either way. I’m sure there’s a chance you’ll get to see it all some day. I can use some of my magic to show you what Namimori looked like, but I know it’s not the same thing.

Ride your chariot up to the tallest building and look down at all of it… there’s a lot of potential everywhere you go…

[He gets it, he thinks, he hopes.]

[gordianknot]

Hm! I would be more interested in doing battle with that Clinton man, and conquering the United States. However, Japan would not be a bad starting point. A base from which to reconquer Asia, this time from east to west!

[He pounds his fist into his palm, excited. It's completely impossible as a Heroic Spirit, of course, but that won't stop him from imagining it.]

[bakudan_bambino]

Doing battle with that Clinton man…?

[Gokudera doesn’t know much about the United States.]

Ah… well. Good luck!

[gordianknot]

Yes! The leader of the United States. He is the most powerful opponent known to me in the present.

[He grins, cheerful.] Is what you said true? That you can use magic to show me your home? If so, I would like to see it.

[bakudan_bambino]

Really? You’d defeat him easily.

[Gokudera nods.]

I just need a fire, and I can use it to show you. It’s really just a small rural area in Japan.

[He holds out his hand and fire lights up right on his palm, and the light above it displays walls, trees, a quaint street, a school. He’s showing off his boss’s house ( https://11famiglia.fandom.com/wiki/Sawada_House )]

[gordianknot]

[Iskandar leans in to get a good look, curious, and speaks up when he shows the home.]

Ah, that is familiar. My retainer and I stayed in a house like that in Fuyuki. [It must be a typical Japanese house, in other words.]

[bakudan_bambino]

I’ve been to other worlds, though. Like Avalon, but not similar at all.

[The building morphs into what seems to be a post-apocalyptic city encased in a dome. It pretty much looks like an orb with a city in it.]

It was on a different planet, same with the world I met you on before…

[That orb-world shifts and there is a city, the view from the tallest skyscraper, flying cars, hover-roads. It looks very high tech. This is him illustrating a memory.]

It only seems fair you know that there is a world out there for you to conquer. So many… Could you imagine? Conquering the entire world! [Gokudera’s eyes are nearly sparkling with excitement at the thought.]

[gordianknot]

[Iskandar watches the change in world, looking closely, and his eyes widen with a quiet, 'Oho!'. It was truly unlike anything he'd seen before, with technology beyond anything he's seen either here or in Japan. If he could, he'd dive right in and get to exploring the strange orb city faster than he could blink.

At the mention of other worlds to conquer, though, he gives Gokudera a perplexed look.]

This other world you met me on... Did I not conquer it already?

[bakudan_bambino]

[Gokudera smiles at the way Iskandar looks at the worlds he’s showing. The view he’s creating only shows so much. There seems to be much more to the surrounding world, the view circling and very much a bird’s eye sort.]

You were a Spirit there. You said something about getting the Holy Grail and turning human, otherwise it would leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

Aside from that… you were not in a position of power.

[That does not mean Iskandar was without influence.]

[gordianknot]

I am no more human here than I was there, even if I lack my abilities as a Heroic Spirit at present. When all is said and done and the calamity here averted, I suspect I will return to the Throne of Heroes. Until then, he binds me to this world.

[He looks over to his huma bird familiar, now preening its fiery plumage on its perch.]

Should the chance present itself, however, I will remain. Then, I can begin the grand conquest you speak of.

[bakudan_bambino]

You can be killed here the same as any other human. You are on a more level playing field here. You are still you. A different you than I met. There’s nothing wrong with that…

[Gokudera chews at his nails and looks away, his wine ignored for the moment.]

Do as you like. I’m not trying to give you any direction, just offer my support as words. You could have conquered that world. I left that place before you did. That other version of you may still be there.

[He looks depressed saying that. They were very close. He misses his friend. This must have been how Zuko meant when he explained one version of Gokudera to him. How complicated…]

But I can’t do anything for that place, and if I could go back, I wouldn’t.

[gordianknot]

Then don't. If the one whom you are sworn to guard is not there, then there is no reason for you to be there, either. In my estimation, being here is the best possible place for you, at present.

[Then he grins, reaching over and ruffling his hair.] Now wipe that sorry expression from your face! We are old friends sharing a drink! This should be a joyous moment.

[bakudan_bambino]

[He nods, gives a slight hum, and then stops chewing at his fingers when his hair is ruffled. Ugh, that will likely never stop, will it? Gokudera looks over at Iskandar with a mild pout and tries to right the silver strands.]

Sworn to guard..

[His boss is in this world, and Gokudera really can’t want more than that. It is his very purpose as the Tenth’s right-hand man to serve him, and help execute his will. Gokudera wouldn’t say being on Avalon is the best possible place for him, but… he’d rather be here than in some world without his boss, without that sense of purpose.]

Shut up-! It’s just how my face always looks!

[Does not. But… yeah he’s usually got some kind of bitchy expression. Sad bitch, or any other variation of bitch…

The teenager takes his wine back up and takes a small sip.]

If there’s anything you want to know about me, you can ask if you want… since it’s not fair I feel I know so much about you.

[gordianknot]

[He'll crack a smile out of you eventually, Gokudera, with or without that resting bitch face. He relents, though, returning to his own drink.]

Then tell me about the one you serve. Who are they, and what compels you to follow them?

[bakudan_bambino]

The Tenth? Ah… you wouldn’t be able to tell from looking at him that he’s very powerful and influential. Most people who see him underestimate him.

[Whether that’s just because Tsuna does not have his tutor or the rest of his guardians, Gokudera doesn’t know. He does not and will never intend to speak poorly about his boss.]

My boss is Sawada Tsunayoshi. We go to the same school back home. I was sent out to kill him, and told if I did, that I could have his position in charge of the most powerful family…

[Should he keep up the sumo lie? He’d hate to lie to Iskandar, but… maybe he should keep it up until Tsuna tells him otherwise? Sorry Rider…]

Sumo family. Do you know what Sumo is? I’d hate to lose you at that point…

[He is fully aware that NO ONE in the entire Vongola looks like they could win a Sumo wrestling match.]

[gordianknot]

Sumo? [He wracks his memory, but he's never heard of that before, even in his time in Japan.] No, I have not heard of it.

[He knows so little he has no reason to suspect Gokudera might lie to him at this point, at least, and even if he did, it's not as though it will harm Iskandar personally not to know the truth... So that's something?]

[bakudan_bambino]

[Gokudera looks a bit stunned, but more thoughtful. This opens up some room for fun. They could get Iskandar on their side…]

It’s a type of wrestling where you have to push your opponent out of a ring. I feel like you’d be very good at it!

[The teenager pulls out his device and tried to find clips to show the conqueror, scooting a little closer to him before producing a video of sumo highlights. It’s not easy for him to watch, because what if… at some point… someone expects him to dress like that and actually wrestle someone?!]

The Tenth has a uh… smaller frame than me, so… to watch him best opponents is really incredible, and usually he has a uh- personal coach. He’s been in Avalon for about a year and we’re without our super powers so… I don’t even know if we could still wrestle at our best here…