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

a. arrival; caravan

[ It's pretty uncool to be dropped into the middle of the bay, especially because Louis absolutely cannot swim. He's dragged to shore feeling a bit like a drowned rat before making his way towards the staircase. He doesn't complain, though - at least not outside of his head. It's pretty undignified to make noise about it considering he's definitely not home if the oddly shaped persons around him are any indication. If he encountered someone he knew and he was fussing about walking up some steps and nearly drowning, it'd look a bit like a weakness, he assumes. So he's quiet for most of the walk towards the Rent-a-Ride.

He accepts the smartphone and earbuds he's given and immediately realizes he's now left to his own devices to decide what to do until the trip starts. He heard a mention of horses and given that it is something vaguely familiar by name, he makes his way there. Although, upon seeing them, he's a little put off by their appearances.

He glances towards someone nearby. ]

Are all of your horses on all fours?

[ It's a legitimate question, ok. And people pet them? He absolutely wasn't going to get used to this. ]

b. training ground

[ It seems smart to go to the training grounds. Louis makes his way there with his familiar: white dog with red ears, a cŵn annwn. Louis has decided to name him Wyn, since it seems rude to not use a name. Wyn is at his side, prancing on all fours as they approach. He's been reassured that the other will be there as a part of the magic, to help him navigate the process. And it's oddly reassuring for Louis to have at least someone confident that he'll be able to do magic when there was no such thing back at home. He is an attentive, focused student when he's being taught by someone who clearly knows what they are doing. He's not fast, by any means, and he's not sure what he can do quite yet, but an obstacle course has a lot of variety and maybe he can figure it out here.

He doesn't run particularly fast and is decidedly unathletic without any assistance. But if Magic can help - why not try? So, a person to race against might be a good way to fully test it out. Although he won't call it a race. ]

Want to do the obstacle course with me? It looks fun.

[ Yeah, fun. ]

c. the feast

[ He's hungry, so he cleans up, puts on a dress shirt, pants, and a tie. He's going to be presentable if he's invited to something, even if that something seems to be a massive spread of food, a lot of wild entertainment, and an interesting of variety of people. None of which he recognizes, of course. He makes his way to the buffet of food, scooping up a lot of variety of things he recognizes. From the roasted vegetables, to elaborate looking salads. There's a pile of vegetables and some dressing sitting on his place while he goes to find somewhere to sit.

Spotting an empty seat, he moves to take a spot, though he asks first: ]

Is this seat taken?

[ OOC; Wildcards, Custom Starters, Etc are all free game. Hit me up

agalio / pm me if needed. I'm also cool switching to prose if it is preferred as I have 0 preference. ]

[Deer people. Of course there's deer people. Why not? This place is so weird Jack's just to the point that he's rolling with anything and everything. Though now he's suddenly wondering what would happen if his plate hadn't only had fish and vegetables on it, if he would offend the guy or upset him or something if there'd been red meat.

What he says out loud, though, is the amiable:]

It is now.

[And he nudges it out with a foot, smiling. If he can make nice with ambassadors from Gath, he can make nice with a deer person.]

[ He accepts the seat easily, settling down beside the new face. People, animals, everything about this place has been odd, but for the most part - people have been fairly friendly towards him. He sits down, putting down his plate of food in front of him. He did note that there was a lot of meat up there, and he took no offense to it.

After he sits, he offered his hand to the other. ]

Louis. You are?

[The deer person has a very normal-sounding name, and knows handshakes. Interesting. He shifts in his seat to take the hand and give it a firm shake.]

Jack Benjamin. Settling in all right so far?

[ A strong handshake is important. Louis is careful to make sure that he returns the firm grip and handshake before moving his hand to his side and settling into his seat. Humans are all - well, still a bit weird to him. They're not that different from himself or anyone at home, he's found. But their faces and body language aren't as easy for him to read and predict. He knows that it means he could be just as hard for himself to be understood or read, so each movement is purposeful. He offers a small smile and nods. ]

As well as you can imagine, I think.

[ He only takes a single bite of one of his vegetables before he continues the conversation. ]

How about you, Jack? I think everyone still has that lingering state of shock and surprise hanging over them.

Considering where I come from, the only 'magic' is signs from God....

[Jack shrugs, intentionally casual.]

It's an adjustment. But this? This I can deal with.

[He gestures with his wine glass around the room. This isn't even as hard as a state dinner. Nobody's staring at him in particular. His mother isn't there expecting him to do well; his father isn't there expecting him to mess up. It's actually kind of freeing.]

Probably I'll be okay once we actually have something to do, too.

Same.

[ Depending on who you ask, of course. For some, magic is simply a continued survival. But part of him gets it, but this is the least strange thing he's encountered so far. ]

Yeah, this isn't too weird. Parties and entertaining aren't particularly weird.

[ A tilt of his head. ]

The attendees on the other hand --

[ Hmm, he considers his words. ]

Are entirely different.

[After a glance around, Jack takes a beat to make sure it doesn't come out rude, and surmises,]

Not a lot of humans where you come from, right? I'll admit, I've never seen anyone quite like you, either.

[Have an invitation to give yourself a species or nationality he can use, Louis.]

louis | beastars | ota

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