TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 16

[avalonmods]

	QUICK NAV: ⚔️️ Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary
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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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

Those who listened to the Fae Queen last time have made it clear to her who is going to trust her when they are given the chance willingly and who is going to defy her. Was it a fair system that only measured trust and wasn't swayed by peoples' ability to figure out her riddles? No, certainly not. Fairies don't care, nor have they done much to give the impression that they don't care about the trivialities of human subtleties. But there is a new batch coming in, and before she shares the information she promised, she needs to see where upon her line they lie. I beckon thee to wither's tree, Where widows often cry, A poisoned place of death's embrace North selkie's weary eye. You seek the prick whose corpse makes rot, And rot begot those life forgot, 'Fore the questing beast slips by. The riddle is presented to all in the form of a dream with a magical compelling not to forget the words, nor to ignore them. There do seem to be two main parties forming based on clues within the riddle, resulting in different possible adventures and proof-of-completion items.

A ⦿ The Dragon's Graveyard CW: Undead, facing mortality
	Welcome to the Land of Rot! Home of banshees (crying widows!?), where nothing living can really survive except things like zombies, skeleton warriors, and so on. Get past all that to the northernmost area of the Land of Rot (or, where is the northernmost now after the collapse of the Ash Mountain took out part of it) and you'll find The Dragon's Graveyard. It's not a traditional cemetery, but the land seems to have been landscaped into an open pit mine. It's clearly not active, leaving huge bones and fossils of skeletons sticking out of the walls. There's a lot of dried blood dying the dirt a copper-y color, and it's unclear what happened in this portion of the Land of Rot, but it clearly wasn't pleasant. Draconic Wraiths run freely around the Dragon's Graveyard-- the unsettled beasts created from the mass slaughter of dragons during the age of dragon slaying.
With the world having been rocked by the death of a dragon for the first time in centuries, despite it being within the rules of this world, they are particularly vicious and unwilling to spare any lives. They cannot be touched by physical weapons and can only be fought with magic. However, if they run through your character, they will immediately plunge into a hypothermic state and will need an immediate healer to undo the damage or a siphoner to remove the Wraith's curse and stop the damage from getting worse. Going three days without a healer or siphoner will result in your character dying! What's more, your character will see a vision of their own death in the future upon the moment of contact.   They do seem to be guarding something at the center of the pit: a broken ceremonial sword with dried blood on it. Perhaps this is the "prick" the queen meant? The sword itself seems immensely heavy and impossible to carry on your own, so bring it back as a group effort and decide where it should go. A bit of asking around and someone will be able to identify this as a sword called "Clarent."

---

B ⦿ Well, Sssssshit CW: Graverobbing, buried alive adjacent, snakes
The Forest of the Fisher King seems to be another popular interpretation of the riddle. After all, the "prick whose corpse makes rot" could definitely refer to the Fisher King, whose body is rumored to be buried within the forest. I hear that guy's whole story is that his wife stabbed him in the leg with the holy lance because he cheated on her and she didn't want him to be able to die or have kids ever again- definite prick! The low-down on this place is that it's an enchanted forest with plants that release drug-like magic spores that cause euphoria, rapid (15-20 minute) memory loss, a desire to stay and become a part of the forest, and general submissiveness with anything except attempts to get them to leave (which will be met with violent resistance). Why this? Because the forest plants themselves survive by slowly devouring anyone who wanders in by making them want to stay! Oh, and don't forget the Titan Pelicans that can swallow you whole too. Just about anything in the Forest of the Fisher King will try to eat you.
Turns out, if you manage to get past the spores and get your friends free of it to go deep enough in, even the ground itself will try to swallow you up! Quick sand only takes moments to try to pull you under. Better hope you came with a friend to pull you out. The more you resist, the more likely it is to kill you! Though, everything in the forest is dead or thriving off of death anyway, and with a stroke of luck you'll see a snake slither right down in (or maybe you stopped by the Archivist before you wandered in single brain cell first). A deep, painfully-held breath should be able to hold you long enough to sink down to the bottom, which seems to pull you faster down the less you resist it. Faster, and faster, until it spits you out (unfortunately covered in mud) into an underground tomb. The only thing you'll find here is what appears to be an ornate tomb containing the corpse of the Fisher King and pits of poisonous snakes to capture graverobbers... and a strange creature whose head is a serpent, front legs are like a giraffe, spots of a cheetah, hind legs of two different creatures, tail of a lion, spits acid-- well, sssshit. If you're planning on getting this "prick" out of here, you better get past it before it comes at you-- and it comes faster than most people can run. Get to robbing that grave and run!

---

For those who are less adventurous, don't worry. There are ways to test their dedication and trust as well. Before the parties leave for their determined destinations, everyone is sent a lock from the fairy queen with a simple note: Slice your sobriquet upon this seal, Secure our sprouting solidarity. Shackle it at the stockade. Sing sayonara to the key.

A ⦿ Trust Trinkets
There's no explanation as to what it will do attached, so it boils down to choosing whether or not to trust the fairy queen. Very, very simple. Well, if you can figure out which stockade it's referring to. As it turns out, in Nicnevin there is a bridge that crosses the shores of its moat that can only be seen by those who have been granted permission by the fairy queen. Etching a name into the lock, be it real or nickname or initials, will automatically transport you to the start of it. It contains myriad locks attached to it, and there are thousands of keys glittering in the water beneath them. The key to the lock is cursed- failure to discard it in the river will result in a curse falling upon your character. Your character broke an agreement with the fairy queen by taking the key with them despite accepting her invitation and instructions by taking the lock to her bridge and now they must pay the price.
Now they will find that they are unable to open or enter any door without getting someone else to give them an invitation through it. This curse will remain until they find a siphoner to remove it... so you definitely may have some immediate struggles in this new world!

---

B ⦿ Pretty Pleases
	Don't know a siphoner? Don't you worry, there's a wizard right there in Nicnevin who can help you out! The half-fairy, half-vampire wizard, Speculoo-- master of the dark, dark, evil artes! An escapee from the fae prison, he'll be approaching anyone who seems to have been cursed by the fairy queen to offer them the deal of a lifetime. Speculoo offers them a potion black as tar and tells them to drink up. Drink the potion and Speculoo will explode into a poof of dust and let out a maniacal cackle-- a pixie! Seriously, you thought you could bamboozle the fairy queen just like that? The pixie's potion will cause you to be unable to resist commands from any person as long as they say "please." Time to teach you some manners!
Either live with this curse, or offer your name to the fairy queen to have her remove it. Don't trust her and try to skate past her punishment right under her nose and you'll find yourself with little choice but to.

---

• 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. • There will be an associated poll to determine where the sword and the Fisher King end up posted on the 7th alongside apps. Once your character is in the game, or if your current character is participating, please vote in it. We will update this bullet with the link once it is live. • If your character has to give their name to the fairy queen, please comment here so we're aware after you are accepted!

Comments

Questions

[avalonmods]

Re: Questions

[bakudan_bambino]

Hey so Gokudera is cursed to be a werewolf or whatever from last month’s event until he gets a new countercurse potion or I can wrangle CR to use some siphoning magic. Until then, is it possible for him to have two curses at once? Can both be cured by one countercurse potion? He doesn’t trust the fae or some shady dude (who is actually a sprite) offering him a gross potion (he’s going to support the local alchemists in his neighborhood)

Also is this ending before the next full moon, since it’s lasting two weeks? I wanna know if I can throw were!Dera around in here/through my own logs if I ever put one up

Re: Questions

[tempredmental]

About the locks... if the character figures out how they work, can they use the lock to transport themselves and the quest item (be it either sword or corpse) to the bridge as a faster way to get it to the Queen?

[saxsongs]

Does the counter-curse potion work on the "doors are closed you need to get invited in" curse.

Ren Amamiya | Persona 5 Royal | Magic undecided

[schrodingers_joker]

[Note that the familiar might not be final depending on what happens with the apps.]


Arrival

[Well this wasn't something Ren was expecting. He was going inside the train to head back towards his home town when he suddenly found himself falling into the water in what was clearly winter.

He's thankful for the Everwarm potion and he manages to swim to shore. A part of him is dreading the fact that his phone might be a brick now, but he'll have to worry about that later. Mostly he's just confused on what's going on.

Especially with a rather naked looking demon with way too many eyes is hovering next to him. Ren doesn't bat an eyelid.]

Who are you?

I'm your familiar.

[Ren raises an eyebrow.] You mean like a persona?

Sort of. You'll see. It'll all make sense later.

[Ren just shrugs at that. He's used to weird shit at this point.]


Red Spring

[Honestly it's a relief once Ren arrives there. He's definitely gonna be taking advantage of the training and hot springs later.

Of course his new familiar is continuing to be uncooperative with giving straight answers, and he swears it's like being back in the Velvet Room.

Either way, feel free to either meet Ren at the hot spring or training.]


Wildcard

[Wanna do something else? Just post here.]

Red Spring

[policedefective]

[Considering what had happened lately, Akechi is, well, surprisingly zen about everything. In fact he's even bothered to show up to great the newcomers, perhaps fueled by his own curiosity if anyone he knew would pop up.

Sure enough, there he is. However, something seems off. That's not the familiar he had seen him with.

Dread builds up in his stomach. He'll play it cool, of course.]

So you just leave enough for me to announce your departure, Kurusu. If I didn't know it any better, I thought you were doing this on purpose.

Aranea Highwind || FFXV

[magitek_dragoon]

Arrival - Caravan

The Mercenary was not happy at all. Being dropped into a freezing lake along with a small green creature with a knife was not fun at all. It was almost as if the Glacian was having a laugh at her. She managed to keep the annoyance of her sudden swim off of her face as she looked down at the creature at her side. It held an unlit lantern in one hand and a rather sharp looking chef's knife in the other and it was looking around at others as if it was going to attack.

"Don't you even dare. We're not here to fight," she said and the creature looked down, lowering the knife to its side. She shook her head a bit as she began to dig for her stuff. It didn't take her long to find her armor and lance. She felt a lot better in a strange place with her armor on and lance handy. Once she was ready she walked to the closest carriage and stepped inside and then offered a hand to the tonberry with her. It was such a small creature and it had a bit of a hard time getting into the carriage.

"I wouldn't get too close to him. He is armed," Aranea said as she looked around at the others. Their ride was roomy, but she was still weary of her new familiar.


Arrival - Hot Springs

Aranea was still rather confused about what was going on here, but she was going to enjoy the break while she could. The room she had wasn't much, but she didn't mind. She had slept in less before and she didn't have to pay for this one. She told the Tonberry to stay there and relax while she went to explore the town. She wasn't interested in testing her new magic just yet, she just wanted to gather some information and try to relax.

After an hour or so she was directed to the hot springs and decided why not? She could relax and talk to some other people that had arrived with her. Gather a bit more information and maybe even make a friend or two. Getting to know the people she was going to be spending a lot of time with was a good idea. She stepped into the water with no shame, relaxing against the edge of the pool with a soft sigh. She hadn't realized just how tight her muscles had been since she had arrived.

"The water's nice."

Caravan

[localdeliveryboy]

"Oh?" He says while keeping his distance, eye fixed on the knife as the tonberry's beady little eyes fixate on him. "I never would've 'ave guessed." Scooting a bit further away now as he meets the strange creature's gaze.

"By the by, you wouldn't happen to have a leash would you?" Because, well, legitimate knife shapped concerns, and he's not exactly in a best position to dodge. He does have a handgun, but he'd rather not shoot some poor....whatever it is.

floyd leech | twisted wonderland | kinetic + animal

[muraenidae]

(a. soaking in your arrival )

[ Showing up in Avalon never tends to be a very pleasant experience, and certainly not in the winter. Its a given that most try to make the rush to land almost immediately. Unless of course you live in water. Then, its like nothing. Any newbies that have already made their way to dry land and are gobbling up that everwarm potion might be baffled to see someone floating in the water in absolutely no rush to get out. The human head just seems to bob up and down from the surface, watching the turtles diligently break the ice to make way, and yet he still refuses to go anywhere. ]

Haha, the water's suuuper cold today, isn't it?

[ Is he talking to you, or the turtles? Or maybe just himself. But before you could even consider asking him what the heck is his problem his head disappears into the water and... I'm sorry but was that a tail fin that you just saw?? ]

(b. caravan to camelot )

[ After finally being hoaxed to leave the water and get himself going by the turtles, Floyd finally ends up at the Rent-a-Ride where he spends way too much time chatting up the horses and asking them if they want to race. Unfortunately, they have a job to do, which leaves him kind of disappointed. However he at least listens to the request to hop into the caravan (ignoring the fact he says he could just walk to Avalon, upon which he's told he absolutely should not try. Everyone here is so pushy!) and takes himself a seat along with whoever is accompanying him. He'll give his companion a cheerful smile that... includes a lot of sharp teeth. Weird. ]

You came on the field trip too, huh? Isn't it exciting~? Its nice they help everyone on the trip like this. If you had to walk there you might freeze to death. But maybe they'd at least carry your body the rest of the way!

[ That's... morbid, and concerning. You might hope that this horse ride finishes very quickly.

On the upside, there is one extra companion with you on the way to Avalon, which happens to be a cute little axolotl sitting on the seat beside Floyd. Things could be worse. ]

(c. trust trinkets )

[ Floyd is, unfortunately, not one that usually takes to the demands given to him willingly. This of course means he ends up cursed. Boo. While he has no idea he's cursed, he at least has a feeling something has maybe happened that he isn't responsible for. Maybe. But regardless, it hasn't dampened his spirits.

So odds are you'll probably find someone casually floating around near the entrance of a building that he can't go into, as he gives you a wave and another friendly (sharp-toothed) smile. ]

Hiii~.

( ooc: voicetesting so please be gentle ❤️ )

C and !!!

[mushroomaficionado]

[It's been an interesting time in Avalon, despite the ultimate unpleasantness of being away from their world. Jade likes to think he's settling in nicely. Save for one small problem. A large absence in his life. The brother he has seldom been apart from for long

Of course, when he sees Floyd, Jade blinks for five minutes straight, then manages to compose himself and smiles.]

Hello Floyd, I am glad you have finely graced us with your presence.

[Though better late than never, he supposes. And is Floyd floating? Well that's not questionable at all.]

a

[bucchi]

[ yeah--- the water is super cold today. thanks for pointing that out, floyd! but right now, ruggie has another problem and it's him trying to keep himself from sinking. he barely recognizes the familiar voice, turning his head in time to spot whatever or whoever sink below the surface, and then spots the tail fin breeching the water.

that has ruggie's heart skipping a beat.

he's not the best swimmer, but he is a beastman. he's got that natural stamina going for him, and he's already trying to get himself to dry land before anything else bad happens. enough is enough as far as he's concerned. ]

C!

[dottedline]

[. . .

Oh good Seven. Azul just stands there, watching Floyd float for a minute.]

Floyd? Are you by any chance cursed?

a;

[prontissimo]

[ When Floyd dives down, he'll be spotted by a not-so-familiar face... but his face sure is familiar to Alberto. The young sea monster boy is swimming in the lake of his own accord, wearing slightly longer clothes than usual, but still rolled up enough to expose the short, spiny fins on his elbows and calves. As soon as he spots the fellow merperson, he shoots over to him, propelling himself by his long, swishing tail. He's carrying with him a strange staff, not unlike a shepherd's, and wearing a canvas bag at his hip full of who knows what, but clearly something bulky and lumpy. He's also wearing a bright smile as he approaches, exposing his own set of sharp teeth, green eyes with elongated pupils and yellowed whites glowing bright and wide with excitement and obvious recognition. He wastes no time catching up to the boy, calling from a ways' away, voice a little bubbly-sounding underwater, as one might expect — but that's normal for sea people such as themselves, isn't it. ]

Ehi~! Ciao, ragazzo! Fancy seeing you here, eh~? Decided to brave the cold after all, hehe?

[ He gives a friendly wave with his free hand, webbed, clawed fingers splaying enthusiastically, as he leans back comfortably suspended in the water, as if settling in for conversation. He... clearly thinks he knows him. Or the kid's just really friendly and kind of weird. Or all of the above. ]

Alfonse Baelsar | FFXIV | Technomancy + ??? light maybe?

[dontgetintherobot]

[Red Spring]

A.
[To say he'd have an eventful overstuffed day would be something of an understatement. The fact that he was even standing, alive and well, as himself would have been enough to shock him, but then there was fae, and magic? familiars? It honestly had blended together in a blur, and he hadn't quite snapped out of his pensive daze until they reached the inn. Inns were normal. He could... handle an inn.

He could be found wandering the area, inspecting this and that. Once he got to the springs though, after a curious peer in, he makes an abrupt turn and retreat. He tried not to leave too hastily, it was merely a spring after all, but it wasn't quite the socialization he was in the mood for. However, his attempt failed and on his way away from the springs he crashed right into someone.]

Ah-! Sorry, I'm sorry. I should have been paying more attention to where I was going.

B.

[It was only a matter of time before he discovered the training grounds, there was a somewhat nice familiarity about it. Sure, this was for learning whatever magic has been pushed upon them, however he was far more content to take his old Garlean handgun out for a bit of target practice.

At the very least he needed to keep his skills sharp, though the events of the day were making it a bit difficult to focus and he found his aim was slightly off. He could be found occasionally heaving a frustrated sigh whenever he missed his mark.]

C.

[After a few hours of exploration, Alfonse had had enough. He retired to the inn room, and just flopped face down on the bed. Whoever was rooming with him would simply find him like that. Might want to give him a few pokes. Can't be easy to breathe like that.]

Red Spring

[bakudan_bambino]

[Another month, another round of fresh faces. Not any he was hoping to see, but it’s nice to know that there are still people showing up that could help.

He’s not feeling well (it comes from not taking care of himself), and so he’s belatedly going to be at the springs.

This trip to the Red Spring is a monthly one. He’s going to soak his worries, aches, and pains away.

But first, time to add on another ache. The crash has him landing on his tailbone with a small shout of pain, a growled curse, and he’s glaring up at the person who ran into him.]

You’re right. You should have-

[He’s moving to get up, very stiff, very aggravated. This was not what he needed today, thanks.]

B <33333

[forgarlemald]

[He doesn't do this often. It's usually Megumi that makes these trips, eager to meet and help the newcomers to Camelot when she's able, and help them get their bearings when they arrive, and it's only recently that Gaius has been finding himself going with her more and more when she does. To occasionally help, but more often than not only to remain on the sidelines while she does her thing, meeting with very few of the new arrivals himself.]

[He doesn't even really intend to meet them now. Not really. But the training grounds are freely available to all, and if nothing else Gaius needs to keep his own skills sharp, keep practicing his strange new magics when he can, and, just maybe, lend a hand or two to those newcomers struggling to figure out the same. And from the sound of things as he arrives, one of those very arrivals probably could use all the help they could get.]

[But when he enters the yard, gunblade resting over his shoulder, and seeks out the source of those frustrated noises...]

[The horns and tail. The golden scales. He knows an Au Ra when he sees one, but the familiar, silver hair...]

[Gaius doesn't even realize when he stops. Doesn't notice how he holds his breath, watching the young man across the grounds line up another failed shot. And there's a long, long moment where he struggles to process the sight, because...that's not him. That couldn't be...]

...keeping that elbow up may help, you'll find.

["Because haven't I always told you to keep your elbow up-"]

A!

[menphina]

[ She'd always made it a habit to come and see who needed help among the newcomers, though her intention was always to look for people she may know as well. A double purpose that is served well enough, at least! Which is why she has a travel bag with her, with towels and small vials of water to help them. All that swimming can get someone parched!

So when she spots the au ra, her ears lift in excitement and she moves over, giving the young man a wave. ]

Hoy there, lad! This way. Don't want to catch cold now, aye?

[ And she'll look around for a familiar- ]

Been a while since a new face from our star's ended up here!

[ She's not a Warrior of Light, so she has no idea he's Gaius' son- even though Gaius has spoken of him! ]

B - oh no Alfonse

[localdeliveryboy]

You're squeezin' too hard, torch.

[ Says a gentle voice from behind, a smile face and clear blue eyes. ]

You're squeezin' that trigger as if it wronged you and your mum. A light hand and looser muscles should help your aim some, in my humble opinion.

Lance | Voltron: Legendary Defender | Healing + Light | Lioness

[icyhotpaladin]

Arrival - Training Grounds



Sooo... how exactly am I suppose to practice healing?

[Lance sort of understood where his familiar was getting at, coming to the training grounds like this. People got hurt and would need patching up. But he also didn't actually know the first thing about healing. He might have gotten Altean markings, but he was no Altean. That certainly sent a pang in his chest, but he moved past it to focus on both his familiar and, potentially, anyone who would need his assistance?]

And how come I didn't get any cool offensive abilities? C'mon, I was a paladin!

Well, you aren't one now, dear. Besides, your second ability is Light. I'm sure you will be able to use that to your advantage.

Like shooting lasers?

No. It's more for defensive than offense, but you're used to protecting others so that should be a no brainer, right?

...yeah, okay, fair, so-

[Ah, looks like someone got hurt! Lance trotted over.]

Hey, you okay? That looked like a nasty fall! You need any help?

Red Springs



Yo, this is nice...

[Lance sank into the waters with a sigh of bliss. His lioness familiar already made herself comfortable on a large rock on the outer edge, tail languidly swishing in the water. She purred in agreement, even if she wasn't in the water proper.]

I can see why people would come here, especially after training.

You didn't exactly break a sweat, dear.

Wh-hey! I still used up a lot of magic helpin' people out!

[She merely chuckled and Lance harumphed a little, giving her a light splash of the water in retaliation.]

Wildcard

[Let me know if you want to do something else, nothing really caught my eye enough to make a prompt for it but I can definitely do a specific starter if you'd like!

Also, he's from the end of S8, but pre-epilogue. So just after the Lions left.]

Training Grounds

[bakudan_bambino]

[Gokudera spends a good deal of time on the training grounds, and usually he’s trying to combine his magic (elemental and light) with dynamite. Not just a single stick of it, but there are piles, fuses, complex traps and set-ups rigged to go off.

It’s dangerous. Someone could get hurt. But when things go wrong, he’s building up his light magic stamina by containing active explosions. Lance will likely feel the ground shake as well as catch sight of Gokudera being sent a good distance from the blast. He’s… okay?

Maybe not.

When Lance approaches, the silver-haired teen is coughing, lightly scorched, and his ears are ringing. He can’t hear very well at the moment, and so when some stranger is offering to help, he’s glaring and confused.]

WHAT?!

HAng on…

[He’s trying to stand so he can take stock of whether he’s sustained injury, but then staggers.]

Fuck off!

[It is not safe to be around him.]

marin kitagawa × my dress-up darling | healing / technomancy | beagle puppy

[extroversion]

— getting familiar with it.

( Marin does not, perhaps, realise immediately why a beagle puppy is following her around like the proverbial.

what she does know, however... )

OH MY GOOOOSH! No way! You're so cute!! ( precious! baby! must protect! the phone in her hands isn't hers — well, it is, because they specifically gave her it, but it isn't hers, like from home? — but it's familiar enough that she knows exactly how to open the camera.

and it seems this puppy knows exactly how to pose for a shot. this was meant to be (yes, Marin, it literally was because she's your familiar). )

Ooh, put one paw over the other! ( SNAP! ) Yes, just like that! Oh my gosh, you're gonna get so many follows! ( wait wait, she's totally forgetting— ) Let's take a photo together!

( but, Marin, could you at least have your impromptu photoshoot away from the carriages? you're blocking the entrance. )

— magic lessons.

( okay, so classes like Japanese Literature? totally boring. being told she has actual freakin' magic that she can wield?

if school was like this back home, she'd be a star student. man, it's just a shame she didn't have a chance to grab the cosplay costume that came with her when she wandered down to the training grounds. how cool would she look shooting fireballs while dressed as Black Lobelia?!

very, that's how cool.

unfortunately for Marin's otaku fantasies, she doesn't seem to be shooting any fireballs. or doing anything at all right now. it's a development which leaves her huffing out a frustrated breath of air after yet another unsuccessful meditation session. )

UGHHHHH! This is way too hard, isn't it?!

( not that she's speaking to anyone in particular, but if you're also having problems, come commiserate with her. )

— what's a sobriquet?.

( well. that was certainly a dream. and despite the fact that Marin understood exactly none of the words uttered in the poem (except sayonara. she got that one!), it won't get out of her head.

which is why she can be found, wandering around town, frowning at her phone and typing things in again and again.

goosegoosestay has the answers, right?

hm. nope. wait— hey, passer-by! )

Like, um... how do you spell sob-ree-quet? ... ( is that right? ) so-brie-quit?

( how did that voice in the dream say it? )

— wildcard.

( you know how this goes, hit me with anything and help me voice test! )

Magic lessons

[saxsongs]

[A new arrival who was very cute. Ren couldn't help but chuckle a little.]

Have you figured out your magic type yet?

Sister Friede | Dark Souls | Elemental/Healing

[rotandruin]

[1: Arrival]

[It is cold, and it is wet. This is what Friede knows, after a brief plunge from the sky. The water is shocking as it hits her, freezing her to her core, sucking the breath from her lungs. She doesn't even have time to register if she should try to swim or not before something bumps into her legs to carry her to the surface. From there, something is pressed against her lips - from whom, she cannot see, considering her hood immediately plastered itself over her eyes - but what she knows afterward is that she is warm again, and moving toward the shore.

It's probably the first time she's been in contact with so much liquid water in a long time. Perhaps since before her death. That there is a turtle beneath her is... odd, but perhaps unsurprising. She cannot speak to it, so all she can do is wait and see if it really will take her toward shore.

Once there, though... she ends up lagging behind a bit. The problem with wearng so many layers of fabric? It takes forever to wring it out on the shore. Once that's done, though, she treks up the cliff, and reaches into the Wardrobe for...

Well, a scythe. A massive scythe. The handle stretches eight feet easily, probably even more. She's at least polite enough to rest it at her feet, pointed away from everyone else. The same can be said when they pile into the carriages, and she keeps the blade pointed elsewhere, as she leans into the handle a bit.

Even among the new arrivals she sort of stands out, being a tall woman in what appears to be a take on nun's garb carrying a massive scythe and... not wearing any shoes. She glances around the carriage - this close, one can even see the parts of her face normally shrouded by her hood, though not with much detail. It doesn't take a genius, however, to connect the mottled red scarring on her right hand and foot with what little can be seen on her cheek to assume she has some kind of nasty burn scars all over her right side.

Of course, staring at it even a little will prompt one single response, that might not be as snappy as it seems, with the softness of her voice:] May I help thee?

[2: Dragon's Graveyard]

[The answer to the riddle is, as far as Friede is concerned, completely immaterial. She has no attachment to the people of Avalon, the fairy queen, or, actually, anything going on. Her world is already dying on its own, it needs not any "saving", and especially not from someone like her.

Someone who failed to "save" it to begin with.

However, somewhere rotting, somewhere dying within this world, that reminds her of home; Ariandel, most specifically. That it's some kind of Dragon graveyard is yet more interesting. The dragons are mostly gone from her world; dead at the hands of the so-called gods, their minions, and the occasional human with something to prove. There were rumors of others, but rarely. Londor had little use for them, anyway, but she was... curious.

So she ventures forth; scythe in hand, barefoot as always, shrouded in the many layers of her robes... and ostensibly alone.

This may have been a bad choice, but when you've already lost everything, it's hard to find a reason not to do the occasional reckless thing. Strangely, she sort of looks like she belongs there, and she's starting to contemplate it when she hears shuffling - nearby, but perhaps not as large as a dragon wraith.

Still, she shifts her scythe along her back, and turns toward the sound - whether it be innocuous or not, and looks perfectly ready to scythe the whatever it is in half.

Maybe it's a person? Might want to stop her, if so.]

[3: Wildcard] [The ol' standard. Hit me up if you wanna see other prompts or something that doesn't quite fit the first two!]

2

[localdeliveryboy]

[ The dream and the cryptic riddle served to do more than bother him, in fact he woke screaming bloody murder and had to be calmed. With everything that's happening, he honestly doesn't know if he's going to die one second or be plagued with dieases of somekind the next - physical or mental - or just out right cursed.

Learning that he was suddenly capable of conjuring magic of all things was already a world shaking surprise, nevermind invasive dreams and messages that bode ill. The most infurating part of all of this, however, is the fact something is not letting him forget this macabre set of verses when he would rather get about his day. Clearly, someone wanted something done to bother not just him, to his surprise, but others as well.

Studying the verse all signs pointed to the graveyard he'd learned of. Wither, death, corpse, rot - sounds like it'd be a graveyard to him. Upon arrival things did not go as he had hoped and wound up separated from the group, but being alone in a dangerous, eerie, and unknown locale is nothing new to him - in fact it felt a little nostalgic, though he could afford not the pleasure of taking his time.

Though he crept as quietly as his feet would allow, his was greeted by a sharp object being swung at his person but with a swear and quick reflexes, Noah brought his hands up and created a shield of light to guard himself and block the severing blow. Those magic lessons seemed to be paying off, even if he was still lacking. ]

Makers tits! Stop! Stop!

Noah LeClair | OC | Light/Siphon | society finch

[localdeliveryboy]

1 – Arrival

[ Tumbling, falling, spinning, dizzying, then a powerful crash following by the biting cold and water in his lungs. Noah was no stranger to uncertainty and being plunged head first into dangerous situations, but boy-oh-boy did he hate the cold. It brought only nothing but problems when paired with water, deep and murky most especially.

The problem resolved itself quickly but the draught being sent down his throat and appearance of the strange woman, presented only newer and more pressing concerns. Which also go unanswered as the sudden dulled crash of bodies hitting the water present the immediate need to get out of harm’s way.

Alarm and panic were the theme of the day it seemed, even more so by the sudden appearance of those strange creatures that made him swim for shore faster than he ever had in his life. For a second he thought he was going to get eaten, but once there he saw they were helping others to safety. The questions still remained, where was he and what the hell happened? ]

Hey! You! ‘Scuse me! [ He says to the first person he sees, i.e. you, wet, wild-eyed, and having a really bad day. ] Do you know what the bloody hell is happening????


2 – Training

[ Magic, the unexplainable force that allows miracles to happen and that allowed his civilization to flourish as it does. A power of the gods granted only to the gods, so why does he suddenly possess this ability? His world frozen, a familiar he has yet to see, and strange but beautiful land that bears the same name as his home. To say he’s struggling is an understatement, but he is processing things one step at a time.

After a night of sleep, he ventured out and learned of the gift he’d been given upon his arrival. Not wanting to squander it he set out to learn just what these gifts are, though after just an hour it’s abundantly clear he won’t be throwing fireballs, summoning ice, or bringing lighting down from the sky. A bit disappointing, but he’s not one to let things get him down. The one teaching him had advised him to rest and went to tutor another but - ]

‘Scuse me, torch. The fella teachin’ me is a bit occupied, and I wanted to practice some more. You mind lending me a hand? Just wanted to see what I can and can’t do.

[ Magic, , the unexplainable force that allows miracles to happen and that allowed his civilization to flourish as it does. A power of the gods granted only to the gods and now, suddenly it’s in his hand. Bizarre, surely, but he might as well get to try what it’s like to be a god. ]


3 – Graveyard

[ Adventure and glory, he’d say, is what drew him to his first profession. To explore the unknown and for treasure, or slay fearsome beasts, those are what drew him in to become a Diver. Of course, it was by his own hand that he had been almost barred from that profession, but one can never stop the want for adventure no matter how hard they try.

Even if that did mean, occasionally, biting off more than he can chew. ]

Ohh! Bugger me! Bugger me! Bugger me! Bugger me!

[ His motivation for this excursion was to settle the infuriating riddle in his head that beat on his consciousness like drum, which is to say his heart wasn’t completely in it. His senses were not as sharp as they should be, his faculties slower, and thus placing him in his current conundrum. Running from a pair of irate draconic wraiths, as is wont to happen when one sets forth with nothing but purpose and little reasoning. ]

4 - Wildcard

[ HMU ]

3

[omnicrafter]

[To the surprise of none, Irhya is also drawn to adventure, to the dangerous tasks few want to deal with. The usual "please help me pick up my groceries off the ground" is all well and good, but her blood runs hot, and it'd be more than a little inaccurate to say she plays things safe all the time.

That, and perhaps it's best to keep the fae queen's trust now that they've earned a modicum of it. Her blade does nothing to the wraiths when she tries, but her magic can both hurt and heal, so she's well-equipped, she thinks.

Of course, that doesn't mean adventurers always come prepared. The man being chased by wraiths nearby looks like he isn't sure how to handle it, so she starts shooting blood bullets from afar to grab their attention and establish herself as the bigger threat.]

I take it you're in a bit of a pinch?

the Netherlands | Hetalia | Magic undecided

[oranjekonijn]

[a. soaking in your arrival]

One minute he was in the middle of heading to a meeting with some important dignitaries at the Hague, next he finds himself suddenly in mid-air, right above water—and why the hell was it freezing cold?!

He hit the water pretty hard, and it felt like a thousand little knives trying to stab him from multiple directions, all at once, and he struggles to get to the surface. If there’s one thing he’s secretly terrified of, it’s actually drowning—being the extant representative of a nation whose vast majority of land is below sea level can and will do that to you.

The next thing he remembers is this red liquid being given to him, and finally, fucking finally, he can stop sinking down into the deep like a stone—and he moves. As fast as he can. But shit, why did he choose to wear his usual overcoat?! What a mess!

It’s not too long until he notices the creature that had appeared beside him—looking like a rabbit, but at the same time not quite so…

‘Where the hell have you been?!’

“What? What do you mean, ‘where the hell have I been?!’, I could ask you the same question!”

‘If you don’t want to die, then get moving! Hell forbid I wouldn’t know what I’m going to do with you, I know you’re secretly terrified of drowning—’

“Sh—shut it!” he hissed from between chattering teeth as he tread water, finally getting the hint and heading towards shore.

Once he’s there on the blessed, solid, dry land, it’s off with mostly everything, wringing them all dry…

-----

[b. caravan to Camelot]

Okay, there’s still a cloud of confusion—what in the fresh hell is going on here? It’s like being warped back to the times before the war of the Spanish Netherlands…

Oh, shit, you hoped that there was no sign of Antonio here at all. Absolutely none. Centuries later and you still can’t stand the sight of the Spaniard, ever since…

Either way, you’ve gathered what little belongings you had with you—how the hell did Konijn find her way into your overcoat [b]again[/b] after you’ve deliberately left her back home is beyond your understanding—and the clothes are finally dried out and not smelling so much of brine.

You’re tempted to ask about how money’s handled in this location, since you’re also relieved to find that your wallets (yes, wallets, you always carried more than one wallet on your person as a precaution against those extremely annoying and nosy tourist traps, and it’s not uncommon for you to also be mugged from time to time) are still there, complete with all your papers and all the money, and… shit, shit, shit.

‘You thought I left? Hah! Fat chance, mister.’

“Why are you still following me?!”

‘You’ll see.’

After willing yourself to calm down, you settle in for the long trip ahead…

-----

[wildcard]

Pretty open for anything, come surprise this confused-as-hell man!

[WILDCARD B] runs head first into ur stomach

[resistetmords]

She was patrolling, as a knight she actually does that sometimes. It gave her an excuse to go out and do something. Like go and see the newcomers. Imagine her surprise when she spots a familiar scarf.

Belgium tells herself she's seeing things. Until...

"Big broer? Big... broer!"

She runs over to him quickly, arms wrapping going to wrap around him in her excitement! She might be crying just a tad, ignore that.

calanthe × original | dark / technomancy | changeling

[floralisse]

— i'm just like everybody.

( Calanthe is as she always is — all bright smiles and brighter silver eyes, looking around the training grounds as her changeling friend sits next to her, her finger drumming impatiently against the screen of her phone while she waits for magic data to load a page.

that page? eh, don't worry about it. it definitely isn't the dark web. she's paying all the attention she should to this magic class. )

Hey! What's that?

( behind you! check it out!

and don't mind the flare of dark magic which spills out in whispers of Calanthe's breath, it surely isn't a curse that will cause an irrepressible urge to sing your favourite song. nah.

or are you smart enough to not fall for Calanthe's obvious feint? )

— i've set some fires.

how many of you have heard of the "Dark Web Loot Boxes"? they're the latest trend on ThouTube — you order these mystery boxes from sellers and they pack them full of strange things! did you know someone found a REAL MURDER WEAPON in them?

it's scary, isn't it?

😱

i don't think i could order one, but if you're a brave person, you should! go here and check it out! you could be the next ThouTube star for 0.30 bitgold!

( this is definitely not a good idea if you want to keep your bank account in tact. )

— i'm just like anybody.

( so this is the Land of Rot, huh?

looks pretty cool, really. though the lack of life here would make it difficult for Calanthe to use her homeworld powers. it's sad she doesn't have them any more, truly the only thing she misses about that dump, but perhaps that's for the best here. she wanders, casual as you like, in a pretty, delicate white dress, through the dank and rot of the land, unconcerned about the wraiths surrounding her. next to her, her mirror image in a Changeling, equally as unbothered about the upcoming battle.

she smiles, an eye-crinkling thing, as the wraith comes in distance of her casting abilities, and quickly begins to shriek in pain.

that particular piece of dark magic is especially fun, she finds. )

Lilac, are we being followed?

( her Changeling whips around to confirm the suspicions she has, and Calanthe giggles, her spell over the wraith growing in intensity as she turns her back to it. )

You've got something that will finish him off, right?

— who's been unwired.

( wildcard option! hit me with anything! )

— i'm just like anybody.

[localdeliveryboy]

[ What...is he looking at right now? He heard a shriek of somekind, not sure if its hunting or just trying to be intimidating but he knows its not good and warrants an investigation.

What greeted him though was beyond his expectations. A wraith in pain from some kind of spell...or at least he hopes it is. He was told people who came here had powers, powers that were stripped from them, but how effective is it really? And if it wasn't their power, that still doesn't take away how unsettling this was. ]

Uhh, y-yeah. I reckon I do...

[ There's magic all around them and he uses that to siphon and draw them to his hand, forming a ball which he throws and explodes right as it hits the head of wraith making it disipitate. ]

Well...Might be a dumb question but, are you alright miss?

Lord Shen | Kung Fu Panda | Alchemy/Green

[yearofthepeacock]

A. Shore
Death is a lot wetter than Shen had imagined. But it is exactly as dark and icy and terrifying as he had imagined, so for a long moment he lets himself sink deeper into the waters. At least until a few drops of something warm are shoved into his beak, and in the next instance he is dragged up to the surface by... a turtle? Can't a peacock even die in peace??

More or less against his will, but still too stunned by... everything to put his heart into any protesting, Shen is dragged to the shore and dumped there like so much driftwood. Like just another broken piece of his fleet, floating uselessly on the water. He does not feel the cold as harshly anymore, but his plumage and robes are still soaked and his army still lost, his fleet, his cannons-- The very large and startlingly white bird rolls over on his back, staring at the bleak, overcast sky. Waiting for his feathers to dry, or death to take him, whichever comes first.


B. Caravan
Death had not done him the courtesy of showing up, so Shen is forced to live with the inconvenience of continuing to exist. In a place apparently mainly populated by some kind of horrible hairless ape? He briefly considers the possibility of this being some sort of hell, and these creatures its demons, but surely the countless lives he's taken would have earned him a more prominent reception than this. Surely his impact upon the world had been too great to be ignored in the afterlife. Hadn't it?

Either way, at least he isn't expected to walk to wherever it is that everyone is being sent along to. He climbs into an empty carriage, struggling to maneuver his seven foot long train into it, muttering to himself while he shifts and turns. "Unbelievable! What is this, a carriage for a peasant?"

If anyone tries to set so much as a toe into this carriage, though, they will find themselves with a feather-shaped yet very steely blade at their throat, and a very testy peacock narrowing his eyes at them.

"I'm afraid this seat is taken."


C. Training Grounds
Shen has no use for teachers, tutors, or mentors of any kind. What he does have a use for, however, is a wide open space. So he finds a quiet corner of the training grounds and begins his own training. It's a well-practiced series of movements, graceful and fluid but undoubtedly precise. Turns, flips, splits executed in silence, his long train of feathers sweeping the ground and slicing through the air, snapping open and closed like a massive fan. His movements are balanced by a long, glaive-like weapon, a double-edged flame-like blade extending his reach equally in the opposite direction. Deadly in all directions, exactly how he likes it. This, at least, has not been taken from him.

Once he has worked off some excess energy he sets the point of the blade into the ground, but instead of vaulting over the pole, he ends the move perched atop the handle on one leg, holding his balance in deep concentration. Inner peace... How hard could it be? Even that panda had managed it. And he had died, what's more peaceful than that! The eternal peace. At least for a few seconds. While being crushed, the remains of his life's work turned to ash around him--

His metal-reinforced claws dig deep gouges into the pole as it begins to tremble and sway beneath him.


D. Library
As disdainful as Shen is of the entire concept of 'saving the universe' and 'magic types' and 'annoying little familiars who think they can tell you what to do', eventually crushing boredom gets to him he does decide to see what all the fuss is about. A library seems as sensible a place as any to start, so he can be found perched on a ladder, white train with blood-red eye-spots cascading majestically down the steps, holding some sort of Beginner's Guide to Alchemy in his wings. Which he almost immediately tosses over his shoulder, because this is for babies and morons. Someone will be along to pick it up shortly, probably.

No, what he needs is to experiment. So next he claims a table, grabs an encyclopedia of alchemical symbols, and etches a transmutation circle into the desk using one of his usually concealed blades. Now he just needs material to subject to an exciting little chemical reaction. Maybe someone's notes or housekeys or whatever else may be easily accessible and slightly unattended. Sacrifices must be made for science, after all.

C.

[floatsaway]

[While Ochako certainly could have used the small gym and training area she has set up in her estate to do her workout, there's just something inherently familiar about the Training Grounds by the Red Spring. It's larger, for one, and has far more equipment and space, as well as a number of healers available on standby if any accidents happen. She has to go easy today, Ochako took a tumble just a few days ago training her Kinetic magic and overdid her levitation, so just a bit of meditative martial art forms and katas will be the brunt of her workout today.

Though...staying focused is a bit difficult. She's seen the birdfolk that stay here, but most of them were ducks, this is very obviously a peacock and...quite a skilled fighter, too. Ochako actually stop to watch the elegant flurry of movement, a dance of blade and feather, and she looks almost awestruck, a telling wonder in her eye as she remains quiet and lets him finish. It'd be rude to break his concentration... But, she's still a young thing, and after a moment of silence, she can't help but voice--]

Uwaah... That was amazing, sir! S-So pretty... [And deadly, but most martial art forms are. Beautiful to watch, but deadly to encounter.]