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

[fujimaru]

[ She allows Ereshkigal to fuss, just blinking slowly. ]

I... kind of? A little? I mean, it's not like there's as much for me to do here.

[ There's always some way to get into trouble, even when she isn't looking for it--and honestly, Ritsuka usually isn't. She doesn't want to cause trouble for people! Especially the ones who'd worry about her! But it follows her regardless, and she's made her peace with that. ]

I can usually sleep for like five hours straight now. That's good, right?

[ It's better than what she manages in Chaldea, but she knows it's not actually a good thing. But she's working on it! Five hours at a time is a lot when you're used to catnapping! ]

--Anyway, never mind that--if you're looking for somewhere to stay, you could stay with me? It's not as much room as you'd get in Chaldea, but... it's something? And it's free.

[queenofkur]

Five hours? But humans need at least eight hours of sleep a day, you know. [She paused... Well, five hours were better than what nights she used to have before, right?] But... That's better. I'm glad you're making progress.

[ And then-- What? Ereshkigal blushed as she heard Ritsuka's offer? Stay with her? But that wasn't like that time when she'd been in Ishtar's body. People didn't stay in each other's place unless they were really close, did they? Yet again... ]

You really wouldn't mind...? [That meant she would also be able to regulate Ritsuka's sleep cycle more efficiently, too... She pondered for a moment, but finally she shook her head.] N-No, it's fine I'll manage to find something. Even if I don't find a room or place, that won't be much different from home.

[ Someday she'll have a cozy temple for her to rest in. Nothing extravagant, just something decent for her and to receive guests. ]

[fujimaru]

I really don't mind.

[ There's a moment of hesitation, and then Ritsuka reaches out, to try and take both of Ereshkigal's hands in her own. ]

Actually, I'd feel better if you did. The rules in this place are kind of weird, you know? There's not actually much I can do for you guys here.

[ Not that there's a lot she can do even back home, it sometimes feels like. The bulk of the energy needed to sustain her Servants comes from outside sources... and now even that has been taken away. Even if she's had this conversation with Beowulf already, it still feels like there should be more that Ritsuka can do, especially for the people who have supported her for so long. ]

So if I can give you a place to stay, even for a couple of weeks, I want to.

[queenofkur]

[ She pondered for a moment. Well, it wasn't like she didn't want to say yes, but she didn't want to impose Ritsuka. She closed her eyes, before finally giving a reply. ]

Alright then... [Well, it was a bit selfish of her... But something Ritsuka had just said had helped her make this decision.] But first— [A pause.] Do you remember what that Merlin guy said? The Grand Assassin appeared thanks to you. Because of who you are and how your presence affects people around you.

[ Yes, that "there's not actually much I can do for you guys" was what had just changed her mind. Well, she did expect Ritsuka to be modest, but she didn't want her to think just because she wasn't a Master here changed anything. It had never been about that. ]

You don't need to be a mage to be the person who brought about that miracle. [A smile.] That's the potential humans have. So no thinking you're any less helpful because of the rules in this place, alright?

[fujimaru]

...

[ Ritsuka doesn't freeze up, exactly, but she goes still and wide-eyed for a moment. She does remember that, vaguely--it had been one of those moments tucked absently in the recesses of her memory, almost overwhelmed by everything else that had been going on at the time... and everything that has happened after. It's not something she's actually given much serious thought.

There are times when Ritsuka feels less like a person and more like a placeholder; it's not like she has brought that much that is special and unique to the role. She wanted to live--she still wants to live--and she wants the world to survive too. That's all. Anyone could have done it, surely.

But it doesn't mean she isn't appreciative when someone says it. Especially someone who's been there.

After a moment, she ducks her head a little and laughs, rubbing the back of her neck. ]

...I mean... I'm still trying, but... thanks.

[queenofkur]

[ If she had any idea what was going through Ritsuka's mind, she would have a lot of things to say about that. "Anyone could have done it" was something she'd used to think every now and then about her own duties, even if she had never voiced those concerns to anyone. Sometimes she still did. But after the events with Nergal's shadow, it had helped put things in perspective. Not anyone could do the things you excelled at.

It was incredibly demoralizing when you started feeling that way and there wasn't anyone to tell you "good job" or "well done." Someone to acknowledge your hard work and reassure you that you are, indeed, doing something unique and important... All you could do then was either give up or work harder and harder to prove your worth to yourself.

Well, thank goodness she wasn't a mind reader! Ereshkigal laughed too and followed this with a hug— The unfortunate side effect of that accursed ball still affecting her judgment, for better or worse. Well, at least the effects seemed to be slowly dissipating... Within a matter of hours, she should be freed from that "magic" altogether. ]

Alright, let's get going then.

[ She took a step back, she was very curious to see what Ritsuka's home was like! And they probably had tons of things to talk about, she'd probably done so many singularities and gone on tons of adventures since they'd last spoken properly. ]