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

[dvine]

Kise is very, very confused. Okay, maybe Takao's embarrassed that a familiar is going to see him naked, sure, but he's not acting as if he's embarrassed because of that.

Especially after he yells that she is the problem, for being half-naked.

"Huh..." He stares at Vila, who stares back. Then raises an eyebrow at him, and it finally clicks and blond runs a hand down his face. But also chuckles because, he can't deny, it IS amusing. A little.

"Don't pay mind to her, she's not naked." He sits back down in the water, dragging Takao with him with a laugh. "She's an illusionist. She's probably pulling a prank on you."

As he says that, the illusion-vila blows Takao a kiss and disappears in gentle wisps of light.

[lucere]

"You shouldn't," Regis whispers after a moment of thought. "It was her choice to make, wasn't it?" He asks with a touch of melancholy within his tone despite trying to smile.

"She wanted to protect you, much like I wanted to protect you." He reaches over to grab Noctis's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze as he says the following.

"Don't feel guilty."

✨🎊🔪👓 (also Ignis will have cognitive magic and basic elemental later sooooo 8D)

[reigniter]

I also know you won't.

[Unless they are both eating there together and Ignis isn't cooking. He knows Noct's habits by now, he's been by his side since Noctis was five. Ignis would be embarrassed if he didn't know something like that about him. And, he can't lie, he likes cooking at this point. Especially baking.

But that's something to think about later.

He keeps repelling Noct's attacks, attempting to return some of the blows himself. But it's taking some time to adjust to the fact that his limbs aren't enhanced with magic. They are pretty even, and he can see a bit of frustration from being locked in a stalemate- until Noctis vanishes.

Ignis has to catch himself from lunging forward and is almost throw off his balance. Noct... did not have this magic before. He flips his daggers and brings them up in front of himself as a defense. Without seeing him, Ignis can't judge how effective (or not) his strikes are- he doesn't want to hurt him.]

Noct? Are you alright?

[Is he going to be cheeky? Or is this first time this happened for Noct too and he's taken aback?]

[cess]

"Easier said than done," Noctis mutters to himself, but he doesn't pull away from the hand over his own. Instead, he turns his hand up, gripping his father's hand in return.

"I know it was a choice, but it's one none of you should have had to make," he points out, a little bitter about it, before he sighs. "But you're both here now, so I want to make the most of it."

\o/

[distantfuture]

[Hope took the help up easily, spitting out the sand as best he could before proceeding to brush himself off.]

Thanks, don’t worry about it. I’m sure he didn’t mean anything bad by it.

[His moogle, however, tried to berate the bird anyway, waving a paw at him.]

You need to be more careful, kupo! And— h-hey! Hope! Kupo!

Take it easy, little guy. It’s fine.

[He laughed at his moogles antics, his hands around the little pudgy tummy as he pulled him back before a potential fight started.]

We’re fine, sir.

oooh nice. i'm hoping noctis gets some basic elemental too, in the future, but he's light for now.

[cess]

[ carbuncle is the one who chirps that noctis is invisible, as noctis realizes it himself. it's definitely the first time it's happened, but, he wouldn't be noctis if he let that stop him.

instead, he tries to creep lightly around ignis - he's aware he's invisible, not silent - and tries to hit ignis in the back with the handle of the sword. not with the pointy end, though carbuncle had already promised it could heal any injuries, as long as they weren't too bad.

but as he tries, the invisibility drops, leaving a cheeky looking noctis behind ignis. ]

mental messaging 8D

[reigniter]

[Noct's footsteps are definitively not silent- had he tried to be, perhaps Ignis wouldn't be aware of it. That being said, seeing that invisibility didn't drop, Ignis knew Noct was up to something.]

You better not take my glasses, [he warns, green eyes darting around as he tries to focus and follow the sound of the footsteps. Unfortunately, they blend with the other people walking around and he briefly loses track of him.

He curses when the handle of the sword connects with his back and with a swift turn and twist of the hand, he reflexively grabs onto the handle and Noct's hand, ready to disarm.]

I can sense a lot of trouble coming my way. [But even as he says that he's chuckling lightly and lets go of the sword.]

he can never escape the reminders now

[cess]

[ noctis laughs as ignis grabs his hand - he'd deserve to get thrown onto his ass for this, and that he isn't is just a pleasant surprise. he doesn't continue the attack, instead flexing his other hand. ]

Hard to sense what you can't see, though. [ and, in explanation: ] That's the first time I've done that.

[ he tilts his head a little as carbuncle comes trotting forward, as if listening to an invisible voice. ]

They say that means I have light magic. That's.. oddly appropriate.

rip Noct

[reigniter]

[Gladio wouldn't hesitate to do so. Ignis is a bit different- he's still on edge from being in a new world where his magic cannot help Noctis heal up as well.]

Indeed. Especially when everything is noisy around here. [He requires practice, now that he knows invisibility is a thing. He trusts Noctis to have it (he'll probably use it to "steal" extra baked goods Ignis makes), but he doesn't trust others.]

I see. It is very fitting for you, indeed. [Ignis pushes his glasses up with a smile, and looks at Tonberry, who got up and trotted over, lantern dangling next to him.] My magic requires a bit of studying, from what I gathered. And some focusing excercises. It affects cognition so I am not surprised.

\(￣︶￣*\))

[cess]

[ noctis hadn't told ignis that carbuncle had offered to heal them, either. then again, he didn't want to have to ask for the creature to do that. it was fine by him to take it a bit easy at first.

noctis nods a little bit. ] Now that I know what type it is, too, I can try to learn the other stuff it can do. Though invisibility is pretty badass already.

[ even as carbuncle yells something about illusions and shields. he leans down to scoop the little creature up, glancing over the tonberry. ]

Cognition, huh? Anything specific you're gonna be able to do with that?

💕

[reigniter]

[There is no need to rush anything.]

It is. I can help you practice moving without a sound while your invisibility lasts. It won't be very useful if others can hear you.

[Tonberry stops behind Ignis' leg, looks up at carbuncle and Noctis, and with unexpected dexterity, like a small lizard, crawls up Ignis' leg and onto his back, then curls around the back of his neck. There's a twitch in Ignis' eyebrow but he's- he's getting used to this.]

Telepathic messaging and astral projection are the first steps. There are rather, [Ignis frowns, rubbing his chin,] troublesome things that this magic can do. Like hypnotic patterns and forceful suggestions. Which is why I'm somewhat glad to know of its existence. [To get prepared in case someone tries to use it on Noct.]

[apockatherry]

[Rather than take offense, the griffin-y thing tilted its head like a confused dog at the moogle as Hope whisked him away, curious and friendly and not terribly bright. Alfyn blew out a breath.]

Phew, glad to hear it. Though if you weren't, I'd hope you'd let me know so I could do something about it. I'm an apothecary, you know? It's my job to help with things like that.

[This time, when he stuck his hand out, it was to shake.]

The name's Alfyn. Again, sorry about the tumble.

[lucere]

As much as Regis wants to comfort his son, he knows there's no denying the truth behind Noctis' words. None of them should've been forced to make such life or death decisions. They were dealt an unfair hand by the deities above, forced into roles they did not want. While they could sit here and lament over what transpired, Regis is more interested in looking towards the future. This might be the last time he'll be reunited with Noctis, so he means to make the best of it while he can.

"Does that mean we're going fishing soon?" He asks with a grin. "If so, I certainly wouldn't mind but let us find out bearings first." Regis reaches over to pat Noctis on the head only to pause once he notices something green and foxlike staring at him.

"Oh, what is...that?" He questions once he notices the green furred familiar. "It seems you have a friend, Noct."

[rustyhonesty]

[Well, Jean definitely appreciates the fact that he doesn't just drop him back into the water over the sudden revelation.]

Oh, uh... yeah. I have animal magic. I was testing it out but then I was too tired to change back...

[cess]

Yeah, that'll make it even more deadly if I have to use it while fighting, or to sneak around something.

[ the smile on his face drops when the tonberry just... crawls up ignis to curl around the back of his neck. even knowing that's probably ignis' familiar still has him staring intently at it, then ignis. the twitch doesn't go unnoticed, but if ignis isn't removing it, he tries to just accept it. ]

Okay, all of that sounds pretty badass, though. Mine's supposed to be more basic, I guess. Besides the invisibility, it's supposed to involve illusions and making protective shields.

[ trust ignis to think of the concerning uses, while noctis focuses on the practical ones. ]

I mean, I never got the hang of shields, like the Kingsglaive or dad did...

[greedyvixen]

[Okay, she walked right into that... But wait, he could be from any time, right? Rin looks surprised at first, then she frowns while she fails at trying to read him.]

Don't tell me you're from the middle of that Trojan mess.

[That'd be fun! And yes, that was sarcasm.]

[cess]

Noctis laughs, the area around them a little lighter for it. Of course his father would think of Noctis' favorite past time. There was plenty of water that had to hold fishes, after all - but Noctis agrees they should get their bearings first.

Before he can agree, though, his father questions his 'friend', and Noctis looks down at Carbuncle, sitting in his lap now and staring up at his father. He's almost insulted his dad doesn't recognize it, but instead he lets a smile come to his lips.

"Dad, this is Carbuncle," he teases, reaching behind the ears of the familiar. "Not the Messenger, but another one. They're my familiar here."

[distantfuture]

Oh, you mean like a doctor?

[Hope had only really heard the word in text books and stories. Cocoon wasn’t exactly the best place to learn alternative medicine when the fal’Cie were controlling that sort of thing. Speaking of which, he almost missed the handshake because he looked at his wrist.

He let go of the moogle to push the wrist band forward. He pursed his lips. It was frozen but the brand was still there. This was all confusing and he had yet to see a familiar face.]

Oh! Sorry, I’m Hope.

[He took the offered hand to shake. At least he didn’t have to worry about the Focus for now. He was certain they completed it but everything had become fuzzy once Fang and Vanille had become Ragnorak.]

[apockatherry]

[Hmm. Maybe he wouldn't even have registered that odd wristward look, except for all the time Alfyn spent looking after someone else with his own sort of brand. He paused, knowing how sensitive an issue it had been for his companion.

But, well. Timid hearts good apothecaries never made, and he was always too nosy for his own good. Time to inquire.]

Nice to meetcha, but... you all right there, Hope?

[He released the handshake and tapped his own wrist.]

Couldn't help but notice the way you looked at your arm there.

[holytrident]

At the mention of the lake, Lunafreya turns to give one last look in the direction of where everyone had just arrived from. He's right, the car surely would've sunk down into the murky depths of the lake — but from what little she knew from the journal they shared, the girl can't help but feel slightly sorry to have missed it as well. (She also very pointedly does not linger on her feelings of being dropped in said lake. The further from water she can get for now, the better off she's likely to feel.)

When it comes to the idea travel adventures, however, she thinks this might not be the worst. "Even if we can't pet them," she thinks aloud, "I suppose we'll have to find some way to repay these people for their generosity. But, umm..."

She watches Pryna leap up onto the cart ahead of them, perfectly at ease despite how odd all of this is. As for herself, however, Luna turns to Noctics, "I might need a hand to climb aboard. This dress is, well, not well-made for these things." It occurs to her that she'll need to try to go shopping soon as well; royal attire (especially when battered) is completely at odds with any sort of adventure.

[reigniter]

It will definitively take enemies by surprise.

[The Tonberry has been following him since he came from the lake. Ignis had tried everything to get rid of it, have no doubts, but it persisted. Insisting to explain to him about familiars and powers and everything in between. So he just had to, well, get used to it. Which is not today, hence the twitch.]

I am sure there are more advanced spells than invisibility and shields. Illusions can be quite powerful if you master them.

[It is just a logical thing that if he has them, someone else can have these cognitive powers and can misuse them.]

Everyone has their preference, Noct. I can go through many weapons but still settle on daggers and javelin, as the most comfortable ones. The same goes for you.

[rustyhonesty]

[Jean watches Snow go to Mikasa with a pout. He was going to give Mikasa her love and attention, too, but she managed to outsmart him with a tease tactic.]

Oh, I see how it is. I guess I'll sleep on the couch tonight.

[thecacophony]

So you're a sell-sword. Well shit, I suppose things really aren't so different as they appear then. [ A shrug. ] Either way, it's just as well. All that honor and valor only gets you so far. I'd say collecting bounties off the heads of rogue mages is comparable, but who the fuck am I to know? Maybe devils are better looking.

[ Ha, even a bit of a joke! She glances over to the weird mechanical cabinet-thing, wondering if it's loaded with any food or alcohol. Times like this, a good whiskey would really come in handy. ]

[lucere]

Regis couldn't help but look a bit sheepish. "I thought it looked familiar." He admits with a chuckle as the fox nuzzles its head against Noct's hand. "How could I forget--"

At the mention of familiars, a loud squawk gets Regis' attention. He turns towards the direction of the performance to see his dragon-like familiar currently nipping at the Jester's jingly hat. It seems that Quetzalcoatl shares in his dislike for this evening festivities but Regis cannot help but look somewhat mortified to see the unruly reptile assaulting the poor fool.

"Stop!" Regis gets up quickly to coral the feisty beast. While the familiar is roughly the size of a mere parrot at this point, this menace can still cause harm. "Enough, enough! Leave him be." Regis says with a chuckle as he holds out his arm towards the beast. The winged lizard obediently returns to him and perches itself upon his arm looking rather proud of itself.

[wark]

Solving- trees?

[ Sorry, Alucard, you have encountered an idiot. Bartz hops down from his noble steed to look up into the tree. And then pats it encouragingly. ]

Trees do this every year where I'm from. S'how they celebrate their birthdays, or something. They dress up all fancy.

[ And then he stops and thinks about what he just said, because if leaves changing colour is the trees putting on their best clothes then- ]

-and then they get naked after, I suppose. You know how trees get when they have something to celebrate.