TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 17

[avalonmods]

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⚔️️ View Top-Levels Only ⚔️ IMPORTANT NOTE 1: For the month of March, magic is acting unstable! Magic fuck-ups are at least twice as likely to happen, so new characters may find it harder to do basic magic.  IMPORTANT NOTE 2:The sky is not normal anymore! The calamity is visible in the sky as of February's event.

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. The water is cold, but not enough that you can't handle it on your own. The Lady of the Lake is nearby, but seems to be focusing on coordinating a band of mossatees to help rescue any wayward new arrivals. Mossatees are a special Avalonian manatee that is green in color and has what appears to be a patches of grass or other short plant life growing on its back. While some are fully green, others sport small flower blossoms that haven't yet grown in or various types of mushrooms. Green mages will be able to note that the plants growing on its back seem to give off "surfer dude" personalities.
If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. Those with animal magic may get their info from the mossatees, though may notice that they're really overly friendly and have zero concept of personal boundaries. Everyone may notice they have no concept of personal space, as they will happily run right into someone's belly for a snoot squishing. 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. 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, but... Hm....

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When everyone arrives it seems like during the siege on Camelot the training grounds were absolutely trashed!

A ⦿ gArBo HuNgErS
	With everyone focusing on recovering Camelot main and the bulk of the resort facilities at the Red Springs, the training grounds at the Red Springs have gone a little neglected.. at least enough to be taken over by a band of local decay sprites. Now, these fairies aren't what they sound- they're not dead, they're little garbage sprites. Perfectly harmless, they often go around picking up trash from natural habitats. They look like garbage bags and bins with googly eyes.  However, the Red Springs's magical attributes combined with magic going a little haywire have caused them to go a little off. Right now, their googly eyes are flashing angry colors that should come with a seizure warning straight out of an old Disney cartoon. They're not just picking up trash, they're eating everything!
What's more, they grow in size each time they eat something new, so some of them are already big enough to swallow an orc! Don't worry, the trash goes into a hammerspace to decay over a long period of time, so if you get swallowed, there's still a chance for someone to get you out... which they can do by fighting the decay sprite. Decay sprites can suck things up similarly to Kirby, though they do not gain your powers, so finding a way to keep your feet on the ground with magic should be your first step. Beware though, defeated sprites will spin in a circle and fall over, and everything they've eaten will spill out onto the ground... so you're going to have to clean it up yourself.

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B ⦿ Slightly Shabby
The state of Camelot isn't exactly great when everyone arrives. It's been ravaged by siege. Things are broken, scattered, and though many of the buildings are still standing, most people are focused on things like taking care of kids, rebuilding, or rerouting the new arrivals since the inn is not available right now. The castle rooms are already pretty full of people whose homes got trampled during the siege, so new arrivals are going to have to find their own place to live. Thankfully, some tag-alongs who came down from Nicnevin with the Elphame traders have got the solution! It's the Wink-Wonk Dream-Donk: a ball you can press the button on and it will suck you inside for a state of stasis! Good dreams guaranteed! Side effects that the mystery helper doesn't mention are that you can't get out on your own, someone else has to press the button, and you'll have warm, vaguely submissive, fuzzy,
kinda clingy feelings toward anyone who lets you out. Though acting on it can be fought with strong enough willpower, it's certainly going to get you and a stranger much closer than you planned a lot faster. It looks like you may have gotten caught up in some kind of dark web experimental product... oops.

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The start of the month begins with the usual March rituals like the Lesser Banishing of Frost Fairies before flowers start to bloom throughout Avalon. Once things start to get cleaned up, some Camelot citizens think of ways to get Camelot back to its normal glory.

A ⦿ Running of the Moon Rabbits
Doing the Lesser Banishing of Frost Fairies often attracts Moon Rabbit kits. These friendly small rabbits do eat a lot though, and it's important right now that the youngin's are nourished without depleting Camelot's food stores.  Thankfully, the Moon Rabbit Kits love to play tag. So throughout Camelot, people have started playing a massive game of tag. The rabbits will chase you around, so the goal is to chase people and head out toward the Broceliande to get the Moon Rabbit kits out to nature where they're intended to be. Per Camelot rules, if you're touched by someone's magic it is considered as being tagged-- so hands or spells will count as a tag.. just be careful, magic is a little unbalanced right now! Be careful not to step on any of the little rabbits while you run!

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B ⦿ Eggxacting
	With the streets clearer and Camelot finally starting to look more like its former self (albeit a little sparser) a culinary wizard has taken to trying his hand at a kind of magic that should help to quickly decorate the city and encourage floral growth. Using a wild combination of animal magic and green magic, the wizard created a special brand of eggs he's calling Oeufs de fleurs. He's selling them for a low price (hey, he does need to bring in some income to afford his expenses) for everyone and new arrivals get half a dozen OdF eggs for free! Just make sure that you follow the directions and there won't be a problem! The directions included with each pack of eggs states: 1. Blue eggs should only be thrown at night. 2. White eggs should only be thrown at day. 3. Do not eat them. More information is available on the chef's Instagram page, of course, but that's all that's included. The further information lets you know that blue eggs are
photosensitive and will turn into bear firs if thrown during the day, but if used correctly will blossom into moonflowers at night. The white eggs react to the moon and will grow into 60 foot tall trees if you throw them at night... but if you're throwing them during the day, they will become beautiful morning glories that only blossom during the light. Lastly, foolishly eating a flower egg is known to result in latent hanahaki disease. If you don't love someone now, this may appear at any point in the future when it does happen. It can only be cured by a skilled green mage. These eggs do expire, so make sure you use them by the end of the month!

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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

[dottedline]

Oh, absolutely not. Azul takes the egg, only to set it down somewhere else. He isn't messing with that, not on your life.

"I like free things that I trust are safe," he points out with a sigh. "This are probably not safe. Stop playing with them."

[over_the_sea]

"Then you don't know until you try!" Duh, Azul! "Take these." Before Floyd promptly shoves the rest of the eggs, and that paper with the instructions, into Azul's hands, not waiting to check if he had a decent hold on them or not.

With his hands free, Floyd bends down to pick up the one Azul had placed down on the ground. "Lets find out!" Rearing his arm back before hurling the egg a decent distance away from them. See, he's not that stupid, he's making sure it's at least running distance from them before whatever happens... happens. Really, isn't this better than him just kicking it or something? Excited to see what would come from it... his shoulders slouch as a flourish of morning glories erupts from the ground where it landed.

"Oh... it's flowers... boring! You have them." Turning on his heel as if to leave Azul with his hands full and no help at all.

[dottedline]

Azul does not have a good hold on the eggs as he can't even stand without his cane at the moment, so most of the eggs just sort of end up rolling across the ground as Azul...honestly doesn't even try to keep them in his hands.

And then, of course, Floyd throws the egg anyway and then tries to leave and Azul just decides to set the rest of the eggs down to follow him because honestly? Screw this.

"You're bored," he notes, limping along after Floyd. "A shame you weren't here a few days ago. The world nearly ended."

[over_the_sea]

"Is that how you got hurt?" Floyd asks without turning around, though he does slow his pace half a step. Not enough for Azul to catch up to him, yet, but not speeding away with his longer stride and unhurt legs. There's no tact at all behind that question, just straight forward and to the point.

[dottedline]

Well, no one ever said Floyd was clueless. Most of the time.

"Yes. Jade and I came to the conclusion that actually, legs are the most annoying thing about the land," he says, only half-serious. He can make that sort of joke with Floyd. "If they're hurt, you're stuck!"

aww, that icon

[over_the_sea]

"But you have so many legs normally!" Look, he has a point, Azul. "And I like your squishy and tasty form." Azul was so squishy in it! Perfect for squeezing.

Though he can see their point. Legs were amazing! You could dance, and run, and wear shoes, and Floyd did like his shoe collection, but they were also really fragile at times. Floyd has had his share of injuries thanks to the basketball club, especially when he's plays more aggressively. Learning how they worked and without the aid of water to help support your form, it was tough.

"We could get you a wheelchair and I could push you around~." Because that would be so much safer for Azul...

it is hands down my favorite

[dottedline]

"My usual legs can't be injured like this, and I'm not hobbling around if they are," he points out. "And if you so much as look as a wheelchair while I'm like this, I will let Jade slip you mushrooms."

[over_the_sea]

That's mean, Azul! Really mean! Why would you even threaten him with that?! Floyd's expression slipped into a pout, half tempted to just increase his speed so he would have to make Azul catch up with him... but he didn't.

Instead, "I don't like it when you're in a bad mood. It's no fun." Well not this kind of bad mood at least, not one when Floyd could still keep getting away at teasing him. Haaaa, he guesses he took it too far, huh? Sore legs were annoying after all, though not as crippling as trying to swim with a damaged tail.

"Why don't to get someone to heal it then? Isn't that one of the magic thingies here people can learn here?" Having to relearn magic was such a pain...

[dottedline]

If Floyd didn't want Azul to be mean, he should behave for once in his life. Even a little.

"It is, but magic hasn't been working properly since the siege," he explains. "It's safer to let it heal a bit on its own first, and then see if anyone can heal it. The last thing I want is this ankle to get turned sideways or something."

I'm sorry, it took me THIS long to realize I changed format on you, I blame my other game/characters

[over_the_sea]

Azul... you know that will never happen.

"Eeehh~?" Floyd's tone to that sound turning it into a question on this all. "What's even the point then? They take our normal magic then make it so our new magic doesn't work?" What a pain! This sucks.

I just figured this was easiest to voicetest with! you're fine ♥

[dottedline]

"I said since the siege, Floyd. Normally it works just fine, but the near apocalypse will, sometimes, cause some issues." A look. "Shocking, I know."

I'm more amazed how long it took me to notice, it seems my brain was on auto-pilot

[over_the_sea]

There's a shift in Floyd's expression, subtle at first but growing stronger as he tilts his head towards Azul; that more serious and almost unhinged look he's capable of appearing, one that was normal when he starts to lose his temper at something. It reflects in his voice too, becoming a more stable and with less of those longer notes he adds to his words.

"Like when all your contracts got destroyed and you overblotted and you had to recover afterwards?" It's almost a warning, that Azul was pushing him too far now.

But it's over in a second, Floyd back to being Floyd, his expression returning back to that more neutral, general happiness he puts on. "Fiiiinee~ whatever. I guess at least it wouldn't be boring if stuff like that happens here randomly." He raising his hands to link them behind his head as he walked, kicking his legs out more with each step on his fully unhurt, capable of easily moving, legs. You know, what Azul can't do right now...

[dottedline]

Azul can take the hint, though if Floyd really thinks that face scares him, he isn't nearly as smart as Azul thought he was.

He is, however, very annoyed with Floyd's long stride as he struggles to keep pace. Petty brat.

"Floyd, do we need to go over why an apocalypse is bad, or are you simply that bored already?

HA! How dare you have an icon named just for Floyd, haaaa

[over_the_sea]

Not Azul, he's seen it more than enough times. Plus Azul knew the best way to direct Floyd when he was in that kind of mood, normally towards someone trying to sneak out without paying or getting out of their contract. And it also worked to keep Floyd entertained, very much a case of two birds and one stone.

"Yup~!" He's more than happy to admit that. "It's boring here. There a bunch of new people, and I don't have to go to class, but there's no club~, and I don't got my stuff~, and there's no Goldfishy for me to annoy~." Because out of everyone Riddle gave the best reaction for Floyd being a pain. Even better than Azul.

"I want something fun to do."

LOOK

[dottedline]

"Well, you could attend school here if you wanted, but..." And now Azul smiles. "I opened a restaurant here. There is that, if you're truly that bored~"

[over_the_sea]

Of course he has, Floyd wouldn't expect anything less of Azul. If there was money to be made he would find a way. And he would do it, it would just be weird for the three of them not to be together after all. However... it doesn't mean he wants to admit to that right away. "I donnooo~ I mean, why should I? You'll just boss me around again."

[dottedline]

"And has that ever stopped you?"

[over_the_sea]

"Nooo~." But you already knew that answer, didn't you Azul?

However... "Gimme money for shoes then. And clothing." Since Floyd's beloved collection of them didn't come here with him, it all left back at Night Raven. He would have to start again.

[dottedline]

"I would be paying you, so that would go without saying? Unless you're asking for a clothes and shoe budge before all of that, which...also would go without saying, Floyd, honestly." He smirks a little. "Why wouldn't I give you money for that? I'm much too generous to do anything but!"