avalaughs | TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ I

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TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ I

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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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Hm? No, I wish! You just happened to say your name out loud! That happens, trust me!"

Again with the corn. "Is that...currency in your world?"

"Oh? I did?" she looked so disappointed. She actually sank to the ground, depressed. She looked up, miserable. "Is what currency in my world?"

Well now she felt guilty. She didn't seem that unremarkable, did she?

"I mean, I just got here, I could GET that power! We don't know!"

Great blurting that out.

"Corn. You seem pretty fixated on it."

"We... we could get powers?" And just like that she was up and spinning around happily again. "I could be like a fairy? I wonder if I could fly!"

She blinked a few times, then grinned. "Not it, him. Corn is a fairy. His father is the king of fairy land. When were little he visited me for a while, since his wings were broken and he couldn't go home. Now I get to visit him. I can't wait to see him fly again! He's the most amazing fairy ever!" Have the shining eyes of her utter adoration.

Ok, so corn. Corn and fairies. Well no, just fairies, one just happened to be named corn.

"Maybe? I think it depends on what you get. Although...I don't think whoever is in charge here is letting us go home. Not for awhile, anyway. I think they want us to complete some purpose. That's how these kinds of things usually go, after all."

"These kinds of things? You've been to the fairy world before?" she asked, hyper and excited. If not stopped, she'd grab the other girl's hands, earnest and desperate look on her face. "Please, tell me everything, senpai! I am ready to learn!"

"Not a fairy world specifically, although the last world I was into DID have fairies there."

Luz shuddered. "I wouldn't get too close to THOSE, they want your skin, and I wasn't being generous enough to give it to them. It DID have magic and strange creatures and there was the fact that most of that world was made up of the skeleton of a dead titan though..."

Heh, her, a sempai? This day WAS getting better.

"Whoa...." she said awed. She looked down at her hands, which were still holding Luz's. "How much skin do they need? Is it like giving blood to make a curse doll?" she asked, still hyper excited. Yes, Kyoko would give up some of her own skin if a fairy asked her for it.

"Like I said, I didn't want to find out! If you'd seen their teeth, you wouldn't have either!"

Luz erred on the side of caution in that situation.

"They're faries, so long as they aren't mean to Corn, they can have whatever they want from me," she said, firmly. She let go of her hands to cross her arms. "Nothing magical has ever hurt me as much as humans have, nor could they." Both because magic is clearly a mark of a superior being, and because Kyoko has been hurt by humans. A lot. Her mother. Sho. The Beagle. That crazy woman that Ren... Nope. Not thinking about that. Where was she? Right, people she hated.

As she got lost in that thought a dark purple miasma grew around her and a small spirit floated up out of her shoulder, cackling evilly.

List of people who she hated. No, people who hurt her. The list of people she hated was two long, and she was NOT thinking about the Beagle. So him. Sho. Her mother. Herself....

The dark aura grew stronger, darker, more visible. The little spirt began splitting into more and more of itself...

"I don't know if I can be that generous to a being I just met, especially if they want my skin. I mean, I agree with what you said about humans though, I've had a pretty...rough....time at...school?"

She had not noticed that familiar before, and that it came out now, like this, was very telling.

"I'm guessing you might happen to have a pretty rough backstory. I don't think I've seen a familiar like that before."

"A... what?" she asked, snapped out of her cycle of loathing for the moment, and the spirits collapsed down to just the one as the aura faded. The spirit floated between them, still anchored to her shoulder and pointed to itself.

"Wait... you can see it?" she asked, startled.

"A familiar. We all have one. Haven't you noticed?"

She gestured to the owl perched on her shoulder. "That's mine. Well, Eda's really, but he's here being mine. Yours was being...kind of split, it looked like."

It was fine now, but Luz knew her tropes. That was likely only temporary.

Kyoko gathered the small spirit in her hands and held it to her chest like it was precious. "I won't let you kidnap it, and I won't make you chocolate as ransom!" Was that oddly specific, yep. Did the protective anger seem to come out of nowhere to anyone who wasn't Kyoko? Double yep.

Luz had severely underestimated the eccentricity of this girl. Did it have something to do with her familiar?

"I wasn't! Also, why chocolate?"

Yes.... Sort of.

"You can see her and you don't want to kidnap he and hold her for ransom to make me do horrible and unforgivable things?" Like make chocolates for someone she hates...

Why so serious?

"What?! No way! I have a familiar too, see?"

She gestured to Owlbert, who hooted his assent at Luz's claim.

"I mean, come on, I'm younger than you, what could I even do?"

"Age doesn't make anyone more or less dangerous. Maria is half your age and even better with cursing and hexing than I am," she said, letting go of the spirit who vanished into her back.

"Well yeah, but all our powers are back to square one, right? I couldn't take it if I wanted to, which I don't!"

There was definitely a lot going on that she didn't know about. Still, it didn't mean she'd freak out.

"Feeling better?"

"You need power to steal part of someone's soul?" she asked, confused. That both did and did not make sense.

"I mean...yeah, probably, right? You can't just reach over and take it, I bet. How would that even work?"

"I don't know how he did it, but I refuse to accept that he has any sort of powers! No matter what he says!"

Wait, did they just launch into a new conversation? Man, this girl was really hard to follow.

"Who's he?"

Oh that happens with Kyoko. A lot.

And that rage flooded her again, the dark miasma raised up again, the grudge spirit rematerialized and multiplied, but they all huddled close to Kyoko.

"The Beagle," she said, voice full of venom, despite the fact that nearly everyone who hears what she calls him finds it hilarious. Well, the other jerk mostly does.

"The Beagle," Luz repeated just as venomously, remembering someone who SHE said in that tone recently, and could understand why she might sound so angry. "I'm assuming it's not just a dog that messed up your Thanksgiving turkey or something like that."

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I have an image saved for an icon for this, but no paid yet,. lol

Re: I have an image saved for an icon for this, but no paid yet,. lol

Re: I have an image saved for an icon for this, but no paid yet,. lol

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What could I possibly be referencing ;)