![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
avalonmods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
avalaughs2022-02-28 08:54 pm
TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 17
| QUICK NAV: |
| |
| |
| |
| |
A ⦿ Soaking in Your Arrival
| |
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. | |
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. | |
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! |
|
|
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. |
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. | |
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. |
|
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. | |
|
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. |
|
| |
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! 1. Blue eggs should only be thrown at night. 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. | |
• 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. |
no subject
Seifer wasn't thrilled at the prospect of another full day spent on the road but at least there was some semblance of entertainment along the way.
To say he was pleased with the situation would be a serious overstatement, there was little good to be found in getting shipped off to yet another strange world, passed around like some sort of pawn in whatever higher power's idea of a game this was. There had seemingly been very little point in any of his various stays away from home, and no memory of a sentence served following each supposed return.
It was all the same still, a train fast on the tracks to a destiny he couldn't seem to escape no matter how many times they'd tried to remove him from it.
Third time's a charm?
Little to be pleased about his current personal state either- the heat in the carriage might have been an almost praise worthy circumstance for soaked travelers but while it had aided in drying out his clothes it had also left him... a little crunchy, his long coat wrinkled and in some state of perpetual discomfort against his skin. Dry, but itchy. Clean, but not really, and all his fussing trying to smooth out edges that stuck out in haphazard folds meant Seifer really didn't give enough of a shit to watch the people milling about around him.
Was there even a line? A sense of order? Or just simply first come, first serve, taking an offered room with no regard for the travel weary companions around them?
Either way he was trying to mind his own business and wait for an opportunity to find out where he'd be shuffled off to next.]
Watch it-
[Gruff annoyance at being interrupted, run into, as if it was such a huge ask to pay attention to the bare few feet around them where people were clearly gathering around (since he wasn't) and-
And for once, for once in his whole Hyne damned life Seifer's mouth didn't charge forward before he could give any thought to his words (if the initial thinly veiled threat didn't count anyway) leaving him (probably) suspiciously silent for a few moments before he allowed his stance to relax with a drawn out sigh.
Ah-.]
We really got to stop runnin' into each other like this.
[So it seems.]
no subject
still latefeels miraculous enough that she'd even excuse the tired sounding greeting.Katara draws up her shoulders and discreetly sucks in a breath.
So he's here, and he clearly remembers her, but how much does he actually remember? Would he recognize the necklace she was wearing (now alongside her mother's, finally feeling like she could wear it without feeling like her mother would be ashamed-)? Would he remember anything they'd shared in that neon city under four
weird assmoons? Katara's look was searching as she pointedly doesn't move away from him- why would she? Does she need to? Will he take back some space of his own or is he too familiar with being this close?Besides, it's CROWDED. ]
Well if you stop showing up months late maybe we will.
[ She quips back, but her tone is missing any bite. There's humor and relief instead, and she allows for something like a cross between a smirk and a smile, emotional- she's an emotional person, he should know this by now -and tentative. ]
no subject
[And there it is, a seemingly thoughtless stream of words that so easily flow out of him- but, like her own, there's very little bite to his tone either, Seifer more tired and resigned than actually annoyed at their abrupt reunion. Whether from the long trip or the acceptance that this was just another in an unknown line of interruptions to his life it really didn't matter, he simply didn't care enough to engage in the sort of verbal sparring he'd so happily instigated when she'd returned home to find him sprawled out on her couch (what felt like) not so long ago.
Later, maybe.
The moon (the fucking moon) didn't seem to hold the same sort of sway over them here, no note of it in the beginners tutorial, no new surprise tattoos or teasing mentions of you'll figure it out soon enough~- yet Seifer still (perhaps a bit annoyingly) found her close presence a comforting one, familiar in a day overflowing with unfamiliarity, and the idea of creating even more space between them is one he doesn't even entertain.
In fact-]
You get a room?
[Because he needs one and just as he recognized the barely held back hopefulness in her, she should just as easily see the relief her bare few words have stirred in him too.]
no subject
Katara's shoulders relax a little, and her smile is just a bit less tentative this time.
She does have to make an active effort not to fluster, though, at his question. It sounded like it could've been suggestive and she wonders if that wasn't payback for his first night in Lunatia.
But it's probably just her imagination, and she really doesn't want to accidentally pick another fight. ]
As a matter of fact, I did, just now.
[ She does take another quick look around to see if anyone else is familiar, but it doesn't seem like it this time. With her key in one hand Katara holds the other out towards him, knowing better than to simply try to take it, but hoping that he'll accept the invitation to follow her lead. ]
This way.
no subject
It's somehow still a surprise not to feel the warmth of moonlacing though, despite his previous confident assertation that there wasn't any funny business to be found here. But while the stark reminder brought him to a momentary pause he's already made his decision, however subconscious, and she had offered first so there was little point in making a fuss about it now.
He probably needs to work on breaking that habit.]
So how long you been here?
[Months, she'd accused him of missing, but she might have been exaggerating and he knew all too well that time seemed like little more than a joke to places like this.]
no subject
[ She says with a playful, coy little smirk. Fingers curl to link seamlessly with his, squeezing a little. He's familiarity and comfort and she's loathed to give it up anytime soon.
They'd never fought side by side, but they were both familiar with the ugly side of the Twelve's war, even if they'd experienced it at different times. From their conversations she knows he can handle himself, and maybe it's weird, but if they've really been dragged here to save the "multiverse" and their homes and this world too, somehow the notion of doing this at the side of someone who's already been through the crazy world hopping together with her twice over is incredibly reassuring.
What's one more crazy quest? At least this time any intimacy they share is on THEIR terms.
The destination is new but this by itself is old hat. They'd gone on strolls like this in Lunatia on more than one occasion when they needed to stock up the house, shop for clothes, or just to go on a NOT-date for the sake of it. Her stride matches his with surprising ease. ]
Did you... come straight here from Lunatia, then? No weird pit stops anywhere else?
[ She doesn't ask if he went home, because when that topic came up there always seemed to be something a little... tense. Like it wasn't something she was meant to ask about, or maybe something he was guarding. It could have been either honestly, because a part of her knew that she'd feel the distance from that life he was supposed to live, and that felt wrong in that place they shared. But she also wanted to know more about him, if he was willing to share.
Had there been another place between here and there where they didn't connect? ]
no subject
[It could be worse Katara, maybe she'd taught him a little manners after all.
He might not be able to find the words to tell her, exactly (now, later), what it meant to have someone like her in this new world (someone that knew him as something other than just a troubled fuck up, that didn't look at him with pity or contempt expecting nothing but the worst and never letting him forget about it), what it meant to have someone so casually want to take his hand and walk beside him, even if it was just towards an apparently shared room in an inn.
He knows what she's capable of just underneath the friendly smiles and eager heart, knows that even if he presses her buttons just a little too much sometimes she will still be there- stomping retreats from their usual bickering aside, anyway.
It's all kind of fanciful, really, and probably why Seifer keeps these sort of things to himself. But he is happy to see her, a gentle squeeze of her fingers offered in return as he leans in against the wall, destination reached.
She had the key. Her room. Technically.]
But no, no weird pit stops or anything. Home really doesn't seem to give much of a shit about me not being there.
[For the better, if Squall and the others were to be believed. Rinoa had agreed with their version of events though, and while they hadn't parted (or reunited) under the best of circumstances she wouldn't have lied to him, wouldn't have joined in some sick sort of joke just to torment him for no reason.
Maybe he'll find the words to tell Katara about that, some day too, when their shared nights alone were theirs to do with as they pleased instead of a means to an end for someone else's gain. But until he can figure out how he himself feels about it all he can't possibly explain it to someone else- or maybe he just doesn't want to give her a reason to pull her hand away from his.]
no subject
[ Said with a quirky smile as she opens the door, which is already a massive improvement since the last time he'd even suggested that she might've done so she'd had a meltdown. Now she can look back on it and laugh, feels like they both can.
She's similarly grateful, feels a sense of being at home with him. Being able to talk things out- or bicker, or even argue -and not be blamed for everything that might go wrong between them had taken some getting used to, but it was an adjustment she'd made gladly. Having someone who would get mad and open up to her instead of bottling it up and trying to keep the peace all the time, leading to Katara blaming herself for picking a fight was similarly a much healthier feeling. Somehow with Seifer they'd managed to find the right balance.
He'd seen her at her worst, her angriest, and he still wanted to be around her after. And while maybe it was a low bar, it had to be noted that he never lashed out with venom or accusations or fire out of jealousy or anger. He could be gruff, and he sure as hell gave as good as he got in an argument, but he'd never said anything in anger that would purposely hurt her, and neither had she him. It felt like it was safe and okay for them to disagree without things blowing up in their faces in the most toxic way possible. He didn't resent her for expecting better from him. He didn't hold it against her when she wasn't at her best, either.
Now that he's here Katara really does feel a comfortable weight settle over her, all the more apparent for the warmth and strength of his grip, not hard but still sure. Someone has come along that can help her feel anchored and grounded: a rock in the storm.
She's not sure how badly he'd tease her if she told him that in those exact words. Her answer is still automatic as she gives his hand a squeeze in return before the gentle pull, guiding him inside. ]
It's your world's loss, and this one's gain. [ That's not even a question in her mind. ] I feel a lot better about facing whatever is going on here with you.
[ The words are out, unfiltered before she can think to stop them, and there's a soft blush to her cheeks and she stares at him for a moment as Katara tries to not call excessive attention to it.
Then her eyes slide away, shy. Not that she'd take it back, or hadn't meant it. ]
... That's... not exactly how I'd wanted to tell you how glad I am that you're here,
[ She says with a short, quiet, breathless laugh as her free hand comes up to brush some hair back behind her ear and then clasp at the back of her neck. ]
but... I'm really glad you're here.
no subject
He wants to cup her face, feel the warmth of that embarrassed flush seep into his palms. Wants to pull her in against him, show her in the only real way he's able that he's glad too, physical action so much simpler than trying to vocalize all the things that still mostly remained unsaid between them.
The urge makes him smile, something small and easily missed but there all the same, however briefly. There'd been no reason to deny that sort of thing before, had there? Something expected, intimacy shared freely, without much thought.
But they were somewhere else, now. They had time to consider their moves and maybe she wouldn't have rebuffed him but Seifer isn't sure he really wants to find out, here in this new world where they had no other reason to fall into bed other than because they simply could.]
You're probably the only person who'd admit that.
[There's no real bite to his words, an almost quiet admission, accompanied by an idle shrug of his shoulders before he eases his hand free of hers. She's nervous, he's- well he's not really sure what he is but a little distance probably wouldn't hurt and he's just going to pretend he's interested in their tiny little room instead.
Helps that he has a gunblade to put away, Seifer walking by the bed and leaning Hyperion's case against the wall.]
Not like we did much fightin' together before, but at least something here makes sense.
[I'm glad you're here too.]
no subject
But relinquish his hand she does, watches as he moves about the room and settles on a place to lay his weapon. Her eyes are drawn to it, curious, having never seen one like it before Hyperion. It reminds her a little of weapons she'd seen in Ourana, guns, John called one of them. Swords, of course, she knew already, but never one like Seifer's. It had been a talking point at some point.
Part of her was saddened to know she's the only one who'd feel the way that she does about his presence, even though he himself seems more resigned to it. She doesn't draw attention to it yet. A heavier topic for a little later, maybe, if she can get him to open up about it. ]
Hah...! Well, in a way I guess.
[ She says with mirth, which turns into resignation of her own as she turns towards the kitchenette in the room. Her bag is removed from around her neck and shoulder and settled onto the counter, where she begins fetching out some food she'd prepared for the trip ahead of time. There's a thermos of stew. A bit of digging finds two bowls. ]
My bending is gone again. Replaced it with some... magic I'm still trying to figure out how to use. It's enough to make me wish I'd learned how to fight with a physical weapon, like my brother. Maybe then I wouldn't have been so unprepared... again.
[ Her back is to Seifer so he wouldn't see the frown. She just seemed to have that luck, always arriving just as things are coming to a violent head, and with no means of defense this time. She'd been unable to offer any meaningful aid, instead only able to help guide people to safety. Luckily nothing else had come from it, but Katara was a damn sight tired of being helpless.
Once she has the bowls filled she takes them in hand and turns to offer him one, relaxed once again when she looks up at him, holds one out for him to take. ]
I don't think things will be as peaceful here as they were in Ourana or Lunatia, so... be careful, Seifer.