TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ I

[avalonmods]

{ QUICK NAV } Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary 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 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. You'll definitely see other new arrivals plopping in. If you can't swim, a red-headed woman known only as the Lady of the Lake will drag you to the shore if she doesn't spot someone else near you helping so no one ends up drowning. She's a little busy casting directive magic to make sure everyone lands safely and playing lifeguard, so if anyone attempts to talk to her, she'll tell them to head up to the Rent-a-Ride. 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 earbuds to everyone before getting them settled in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and give them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: 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 nip bottles. 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. Because of the volume of new arrivals and vacationers, inn rooms are assigned two-to-a-room. The rooms have two twin beds, a bathroom, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a TV equipped with a couple of entertaining video games and a few free movies. If you don't want to relax in the room, try taking a dip in the spring for another chance to meet your fellow travelers. The waters have restorative properties that help horses and travelers recover quickly when drunk. It is known to relieve stress, improve energy levels, and mildly accelerate healing. 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. A ⦿ Get Fresh Upon arrival in Camelot travelers are ushered to a large set of wash rooms where they can clean up and make themselves presentable for the Welcome Feast. They are informed that once the feast concludes there will be an announcement on where they can seek lodging and how to begin their magic studies. B ⦿ Be Merry After they freshen up, travelers are led into the main dining hall. The decorations range from simplistic to a little more grandiose, it is likely everyone will find something familiar. A modern mash up with a medieval flair. The jester makes his rounds, perhaps he has a joke or two to tell, go ahead, give him a listen or perhaps volunteer to participate in one of the jester's shows, like knife-throwing or hypnotism. Within the crowd of staff there are mummers, a juggler, here and there dabbled through small troupes perform mini skits, perhaps they’ll perform a well known verse from a traveler’s world or tell a tale of fancy from this realm. C ⦿ Eat Well A banquet is prepared with food that while all “rustic” in appearance are usually a version of modern dishes ranging from basic roast chicken and veggies to Korean-Mexican fusion and French patisserie. The drinks are much the same; while served in old fashioned goblets, they are drinks modern travelers will be familiar with. Have a seat, meet a new neighbor, find a roommate, maybe a new or old friend? Talk to the person to your left, your right, across from you. Mingle, enjoy the food, the music, it shouldn’t be long before the information promised is provided. Till then take your fill and get to know your fellow travelers. You've been here a few days now and have gotten a chance to settle in, find a place to stay, and Camelot's citizens have decided that you've been here long enough to start living your life again. Well, your new life. A group of citizens have decided to give everyone their first quest. "Hear ye, hear ye!" a man in chain mail with a tablet with his statement typed up on it declares to a crowd from atop a pedestal. There are two other citizens around him with phones to post the video to AOL later to make sure the word gets heard ye all around. "Those with magic, we beseech thee! Findeth us a grail most holy hidden in the depths of the Brocéliande! This holy grail is known to grant thine wishes three, a most noble quest for noble souls! Great reward will come to those who find it and proclaim at least one of their wishes to find the great Excalibur for King Arthur!" This is the first you've heard about King Arthur, and it seems curious that he hasn't yet shown his face around town. It also seems strange that this guy is speaking like he's stepped out of a bad period piece, and probably should be the clue that this is more or less an attempt to haze some of the newcomers by sending them into the forest... but no one is telling newcomers this. It's better to get them out there and start praciticing, after all. A ⦿ Lost, and Lost, and Lost Again The Brocéliande is well-known around Camelot for being a forest that's both bountiful and mysterious. Oddities are known to happen that may never happen again to the point that even if something weird happens and you can't prove it, most citizens will assume you're telling the truth. Which is what makes it peculiar when you keep passing the exact same locations over and over again, as if you've been traveling in circles or reaching the end of the map in a video game and coming out the other end. You're stuck in a space loop. The only way out is to successfully find the one difference in each loop five times in a row and collect it. Maybe it's a strange frog, a crystal that wasn't there before, a small wooden step that doesn't lead anywhere, or some other singular item, you've got to find what stands out... pick the wrong item, and you'll have to start your five count over again, and again, and again... B ⦿ Grail, and Grail, and Grail Again!? If you either missed the space loop or managed to get out of it, eventually you'll come to find one of... quite a few copies of a grail with holes in the side placed throughout the forest. They look like they might be good for draining noodles, but that's about it. Though they're spread out, it's entirely possible you'll find more than one, but each of them are placed in situations where it's impossible to get to by normal means. You'll have to use magic! It may be hidden in a bird's nest at the top of the tallest tree, inside of a hole in a rock with bars that prevent you from reaching in (perhaps an animal friend could reach it), inside a boiling pond, or inside the body of a bear fir... there are a load of possibilities, and now's a chance for you to try out your brand new magics! Use one of those samples, find something from the bestiary, or come up with your own adventure to get your hands on that less-than-holy grail. C ⦿ A Quest Completeish Or it would be, if you could ever find the guy who announced it... The AOL posts have since been deleted. You may end up spending a lot of time trying to find the guy. At this point, citizens will start telling you that you shouldn't take quests unless they're on the quest board or else you're going to get scammed... that's definitely an olden times themed noodle strainer. If that doesn't make you give up, or perhaps motivates you to find the guy to kick his ass, you'll have to head out to the farmland and chase them through a cornfield. (Be careful not to get lost, it's a maize in there.) If one of the boys are caught, they'll explain they were just testing you-- and hey, you got a free addition to your kitchen! If pressed, they'll apologize and give you a bit of money for your trouble. It's not much, but it'll get you at least a meal.

MOD NOTES:
• All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, but this post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads, but should not top-level comment on this post. This is the first one, ignore this note today!
• 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.
• For the first month only, there will not be a quest board. Starting in December, quests will be posted on the 1st of each month for current players. After that point, quests may be used as TDM prompts in addition to the presented TDM prompts. A link will be provided as a bonus prompt option at the end of the post.
• The first "Arrival" prompts are present on every TDM. 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

[excalibeam]

[ Saber's already back to eating. Despite everything, she's still as strong of an eater as always. ]

Hm? Shirou, aren't you going to eat?

[ A casual question. It's almost like they're eating back at the Emiya Residence again. ]

[phoenixwiz]

So they didn’t put anything inside the refrigerator for us to find? That is just rude for a host.

(So much for trying to check at the refrigerator.)

Maybe we could go downstairs and get something to eat soon enough or try to see if they have a small restaurant for us to check on.

(At the very least, their hosts could have given them snacks to munch and not let them starve before dinner.)

[birdflipping]

Whoa, that's between me and my girlfriend. I'm not just gonna tell you stuff like that.

[Nero grins up at him. Joking aside, since it's bothering him that much he'll stop and get back to his feet.]

Alright, so let's, uh, call it a cultural difference. I get the picture.

[phoenixwiz]

Perhaps they didn’t want us to go into the world without no clue of how this place works, so that’s highly possible. That and also to communicate with the other people stranded in here.

(Not exactly the best explanation he can muster up, but that could explain the free smartphones.)

[reproducing]

[He can't help but stare at her. When they first met, he remembers staring at her because he found her so beautiful. Now he's staring because it's good to see her being happy and cute while eating all this food.

At being called out, he lightly blushes. He must have zoned out... how embarrassing.]

Mhm, yeah, I just zooned out. [It's true. He starts eating, ever so often his eyes dashing between look at his plate, Saber, and Saber's plate of food.]

[callyourname]

[Mikasa doesn't even try to stop a relieved sigh from happening, when Jean obviously recognizes Snow. She smiles back at him too and she keeps walking closer slowly to give Snow some time to get his attention.

Snow's excitedly wagging her tail and licking wherever she can reach even before Jean gets closer to her.]

I think someone's even more happy to see you than she was about swimming.

[Question: is she talking about herself or Snow? The answer's probably both.]

[unknowntodeath]

You have every right to cut me down if I stray.

[He means it. Not that he plans on it, of course. He's changed. He may not like Shirou still, but at least he's not murderous.]

I'm sure we will find out more as we proceed. At least I know you won't use your true name on a whim.

[unknowntodeath]

[Another Archer and Shirou. Three timelines. Sounds like something the Holy Grail would pull out of its mouth. However, being in another city is probably not that.

It's tempting, oh so tempting to troll and claim to be from the third timeline and make up a story.

He won't, however. He has that much respect for his former Master.]

Of course that would be the thing that confirms I'm the same one you know.

[unknowntodeath]

[Archer frowns.]

And why exactly would I follow you?

[rustyhonesty]

[Snow receives some forehead kisses in return before Jean shifts her attention on Mikasa with a very warm smile.]

Yeah? Well I can say the feeling is very mutual.

[greedyvixen]

[No reaction. So calm. That's just like him.

At least one thing is sure after he finally gets to say something between Rin talking as much as ever. Wow, he really is her Archer. Rin didn't think she'd ever see him again.

Gosh, she has missed him. So much. Not that she'll ever tell that with words to him but it's been so many months from the last time when she saw that other Archer or heard him calling her Rin and then everything happened back home too and it feels like it all happened forever ago... and even more than forever since the last time when she got along with him even if that was back in Lunatia too.]

Well, that's ... One thing along with a few others but we both know you didn't mean what you said there.

[excalibeam]

Indeed. If I am not their king, then I at least wish to meet with the person they claim to be King Arthur.

[ Well, at the very least it's reassuring to have Archer actually on their side. ]

[afoolshope]

I don’t think those exist. [A pause as he considered. He then added.] Not yet anyway.

[He took another bite of the food as Akira chose the song. He nodded.]

Along with getting all the food? Sure.

[A long, black tail smacked his arm.]

You really ought to stop thinking with your stomach.

So, where are you from?

[cess]

The bitterness is easy to push aside for the moment. His father is here, in front of him; a second chance he never thought he'd have, despite wanting it desperately back home. He tilts his head up, a sad smile on his face as he looks up at his father.

"Thanks. I'm proud of you too, you know." Maybe not happy with him, at the moment, but he knows his father had difficult decisions to make - decisions that make more sense in retrospect. Had he not sent Noctis away, there would have been no way to stop the Starscourge; of course his father chose him, now.

"I think it'll be easier, with both of us here. And hey, maybe their King will be willing to talk with us."

[tsukky]

[ Tsukuyo nods. ]

I got one.

Although I dunno whether to take that explanation at face value or not.

[lucere]

Regis arches his brow at that previous comment but he can't help but smile nonetheless. "I never thought I would hear such praise from you." He teases in hopes of lightening the mood. There's been enough doom and gloom between them. When the time comes, Regis is confident that Noctis will save their dying star. Until then, Regis is going to retire from politics for the time being and focus on just being a father for a change.

Or so he thinks. Regis is still a king despite no longer having a kingdom to preside over. There's no changing that. Sooner than later, Regis will find himself embroiled in the conflicts of this world but hopefully, that will be sooner than later.

"Perhaps." Regis says in agreements. "I certainly would love to speak with the ruler of this realm in hopes of shedding some light upon this mystery." He all but grumbles before gesturing for them to sit while the jester continues with the performance. Regis is not one to approve of such buffoonery but at least they have some decent food to eat.

"If I may ask---" He turns to his son again. "Have you meet with others here?"

[bakudan_bambino]

[Gokudera is -for the most part and only visibly- rolling with the punches. There are a lot of details, yeah, and a sort of clear focus. He's just trying to make sure they can get done whatever they need to in order to go home.]

Yeah... [Come together. He doesn't know any of these other people and doesn't have anyone to trust other than his boss.]

Well hopefully wherever this Caravan takes us, we'll have a roof over our heads.

[birdflipping]

Me neither, but it can't hurt to give them the benefit of the doubt for now. If my world's in trouble, that's not the kind of thing I can just ignore.

[And if it's all a really elaborate trick... He can worry about kicking peoples' asses when it comes to that.]

[reproducing]

[When he sees that frown and Archer and hears him ask him that, he feels stupid for asking that now. In his head it made sense at least.]

Well I'm here and you're here, so... [He doesn't have a good explanation. Unless Archer changed his mind about killing him. Even if Shirou knows who he technically is, there's still this mysteriousness to him.] You didn't come to kill me, did you? [Better to get this conversation out of the way.] I know you were the one who shot Gilgamesh. [AKA, "I know that you saved me. Again."]

[disasdeer]

If that's her thing, I won't judge.

[ Except he totally will and his face suggests he will. Humans. Are. Weird. That's all he can say. He pretty well realizes that it's a joke, but he also doesn't put it past anyone for it to be a thing that some people legitimately like. It's all very weird to him. You can't blame him for thinking so. ]

Yeah, we'll stick with cultural differences.

[disasdeer]

[ Louis' eyes fall on the dragon and then the girl and he takes a couple steps so at least he's not in the middle of whatever this is. ]

He looks like he belongs with you. If not yours, then who else?

[ He glances around. The dragon is... kind of cute. Even to him, so he's confused by the obvious distaste of it. It seems silly to luck out with such a cute creature then be upset about it. ]

[disasdeer]

[ Louis can read the room around him... and while he's still figuring out this human animal, he can figure out the invitation. He settles in, propping an elbow up on the table. Perhaps it's considered rude, but this isn't a typical formal event. ]

No humans where I'm from. But it's not like there's only red deer where I'm from. It's all sorts of animals.

[ No special alien species or something. He considers the other for a moment. ]

You don't have to tell that you've never seen people like me where you're from. But the reality is, we're all foreign here so it doesn't really matter, does it?

[theskyaccepts]

Finding that out seems like the best first step. Then we can figure out the familiars and missions and things.

And see if anyone else is here.

[Still, he manages a smile.]

We'll stick together, right?

[Probably goes without saying really.]

[theskyaccepts]

[And there's six more like him, but Yamamoto's the only one who really has any information about the whole Arcobaleno deal, and he's not here right now. And also sworn to secrecy.

Tsuna tries not to think about it.]

I guess. He's pretty good at making himself stand out.

I know the feeling. Everything got really weird when Reborn showed up

[disasdeer]

[ Wow this guy is stupid. Louis just blanks stares for several moments trying to figure out what the heck is up with this guy before settling in and deciding to answer. ]

Not with magic, obviously. Like. Physically lift a rock and throw it.

[ Oh my god. ]

Did you try that?

[ He looks dumbfounded. ]