TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 5

[avalonmods]

✨ Greet new players on the OOC intro while apps are processed HERE! ✨

{ QUICK NAV } Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary ⚔️️ Top-Levels Only ⚔️️ 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 slightly chilled 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. It's still chilly, but not enough that you can't manage on your own. The Lady of the Lake is swimming around under the water, but seems to be focusing on coordinating a band of chia manatees to help rescue any wayward new arrivals. Chia manatees are a special Avalonian manatee that is green in color and has what appears to be a patches of grass or other short plantlife 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. 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 manatees, 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. *Reminder: Your character's familiar may or may not be with your character in their initial plunge. If the familiar isn't partial to water, it may meet your character on the beach or sit atop their head while they swim. Or if they are, they might splash about and swim alongside your character. Familiars have different personalities and body specs and we leave those up to the players. 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 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. It was recently enchanted by Merlin to prevent people from having to fish their waterlogged possessions and pets out of the water with them. 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 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. 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, 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. The Isle of Avalon is abuzz with excitement for the upcoming Spring Equinox (though some of the more posh citizens will insist it's the Vernal Equinox, tut tut). Unlike the very specific rituals of the Winter Solstice that require much preparation, the Spring is welcomed throughout the month through a variety of small rituals to help the world along as it renews itself, growing new plants and allowing nature to make new life. A ⦿ The Lesser Banishing of Frost Fairies Throughout February, the Frost Fairies were running amok and keeping things chilly, even awarding those who gave them treats last month. These fairies create ice crystals on contact and can be spotted by the beautiful ice crystal patterns that form in their trail. They cause frost bite if you physically touch them, so capture isn't recommended. They seem to be sticking around a little too long this month, as they're normally supposed to leave at the end of February. No one seems alarmed, as it seems that this happens from time to time. It's easy enough to deal with-- and so, people throughout town are being asked to perform a ritual called the Lesser Banishing of Frost Fairies. It's perfectly safe, and lets these invisible little creatures be sent on their way until the next winter. The first step: create bait. Fill a planter with dusty miller and silver sage, with a night-blooming flower at the center. The silvery-white leaves pique the curiosity of the Frost Fairies because they look snowy, yet when they see the flower bloom, they know it cannot be. The plants won't be damaged at all in the ritual, so you'll get a moon garden out of it, which can be incidentally draw adorable little moon rabbit kits in to play inside your home while the moon is out. They're friendly, though they do tend to enjoy pack-sized snuggles-- you may find yourself stuck with no fewer than 15 rabbits attempting to climb on you for attention and need someone's help to pull them off. You may need to get them under control before you continue with the ritual. Once you've assembled your miniature moon garden, you'll need to find a stranger to perform the ritual. You need to bring a new energy into your home in order to let the Frost Fairies know that it's time to meet something new. Take hands with the new person and dance in circles around the miniature moon garden. The plants will start to glow and the Frost Fairies will become visible-- short, fat, all-white penguin with flamingo-length legs and icicle crowns. They will immediately challenge you and your summoning partner to a duel! Though, you can pick what kind of challenge it is as their culture dictates. They're pretty overconfident, just remember not to pick something that involves touching them unless you want to end up needing a healer. B ⦿ The Language of Flowers Once the Frost Fairies are properly banished, flowers are starting to crop up all around Camelot, the Broceliande, the fields in between, and those who come back to the White Cliffs after arrival will even find the Cliff Beast in a pleasant mood from all the lovely little flowers hanging off of his clifftop. (No one's quite sure how a cliff seems happy, but that's the sense everyone gets.) Wherever you may be, there are flowers starting to crop up. Normally, this would be when people would start gathering decorations to cover the buildings and make flower altars, but a lot of the wild flowers normally accessible... well... It looks like a brood of dragons hatched a little early and, upon seeing all the flowers start to crop up, decided that these flowers are the treasures that they want to hoard. The baby dragons didn't fly too far down from their mountain, but once one of them flew past the Lands of Rot and found the fields of flowers, it got its siblings. Now there are a handful of baby dragons claiming different areas as their hoard and making it impossible to get around without being attacked by an admittedly cute fire-breathing menace. No one wants the baby dragons slain, but the baby dragons need to be brought back to their mother's cave in the Ash Mountains. The safest way is through the half-dead area between the Dusklight Woods and the Lands of Rot. The dragons will attack anyone who comes into their area but seem to be friendly toward anyone wearing a flower crown, as they seem to accept them as a part of their hoard if the flowers send the right message. Use the language of flowers to communicate with the dragons and try to get them to follow you by wearing a flower crown that matches one you offer to the dragon. A flower crown that says sympathy and sadness might not be as effective as something that says virtue and bravery. Just be careful not to woo them the wrong impression with something that says eternal love and devotion, or you might have a different kind of dragon problem... Regardless, since the dragons are guarding the flowers you need to make the crowns out of, you'll need to find a way to get past their attacks to gather flowers to begin with to find the flowers you want to make your crown with. Flower crowns need at least two types of flowers to communicate with the dragons, so it's recommended you work together with others to try to gather as many flowers as you can to find the flowers you need. Thankfully, since dragons are sacred, most of the Dusklight Woods creatures will leave you alone, so it's best to hug that side of the mixed path. You and whoever you're working with only have to worry about fighting alongside the baby dragons to fight off the Land of Rot creatures that hang around the edge: Skeleton warriors that can only be scattered but not killed, Fogueria (a lion made of fire that likes to play with its food in sadistic ways), and rattlesnakes. Once you're at the foot of the Ash Mountains, the baby dragons will fly back up to their cave on their own. With the baby dragons returned to their nest, you can head home, and the townsfolk can start decorating for the Spring Equinox. C ⦿ Spiritual Cleansing The frost is gone, the flowers are free, and rabbits are running around town like they own the place. All of the physical and symbolic spring equinox preparations are made, now it's time to look within. As the season of renewal and rebirth, a huge part of that is personal reflection and growth. As such, outdoor meditation and yoga flash parties are all the rage right now. Get caught it one and you and anyone around you will be stuck in a barrier until you complete at least 5 yoga poses and hold them for 30 seconds each. Some of them are a little challenging.. thankfully, no one is going to stop you from getting help holding them from someone else who's stuck with you. A plague of smoothie hockers has also cropped up around town, which means portable carts offering different magical smoothies is going around selling their fruity and flowery spring flavors for a refreshing boost of your spirit. No, really boost it. The magical effects are in small text underneath the flavors, so they may be easy to miss. Hibiscus-Berry: Vanity Spirit (person may become temporarily obsessed with appearance, finding cute clothes, getting their hair and nails done, needing to be their ideal of attractive) Strawberry-Rose: Romantic Spirit (flirtiness, desire to be romantic with someone) Jasmine-Peach: Friendship Spirit (go out of your way to make new friends, make grand friendship gestures to people you've already befriended or have known for five minutes and want to befriend) Lavender-Mulberry: Distrusting Spirit (paranoid, may start fights because they think someone is out to get them) Butterfly Pea-Lemon Tea: Meditative Spirit (fall asleep easily, peaceful/relaxed about alarming things, sudden penchant for Big Thoughts about the universe) Dandelion-Apple-Banana: Surivival Spirit (sudden desire to do everything yourself, whether that's hunting/gathering food, getting really into DIY projects like making your own soap or building your own chicken hutch because you're going to get your own eggs, or really wanting to live outside for a while) The effects only last for an hour or two, so it's unlikely any real damage can be done (hopefully) but it'll certainly give you a new outlook on life! Spring is in the air, the Equinox is coming, and prep is underway. But all work and no play can get a little boring, right? Avalonians have come together and set up a few activities for Adventurers. While all of these activities can be completed and enjoyed without using magic, participants will be encouraged do to so, don’t worry if it goes a little haywire. There are magical force fields around the play zones to contain any mishaps. A ⦿ Keep it Rollin' Rollin' The first area set up for fun and games is a barrel rolling contest. Participants are split into pairs to compete against each other to see who can roll their partner inside the barrel down the hill and across the finish line the fastest. Springtime is when geysers start bursting around the bottom of the hill though, so you'll have to watch out for those and any boulders to make sure your barrel doesn't burst before you reach the bottom! To make things a little more interesting, the planners had a bit of mischief with the barrels... As barrels reach a quarter of a way down the hill, the outside will burst into flames. Surprise! While they are enchanted so that the flames aren't actually hot, participants are not aware of this. Sorry, the guys running this game aren’t that big on explaining; after all, it’s just rolling a fire barrel down the hill; what’s so complicated? Fire makes it look like it's going faster and is way more exciting to watch! B ⦿ Hop Skip and a Jump Everyone loves hopscotch, right? Well, whether you do or don’t, that next zone is all about the hop, the skip, and the jump. Two hopscotch boards about the size of a basketball court each are laid out side by side for participants. The object again, to see who can complete the task that fastest. If you reach a spot with a magic symbol, you have to cast a spell at your opponent or you can't proceed. This is combat hopscotch! Of course, once more, the folks running the show forgot to mention one tiny thing, a quarter of the way into the board, random spots will drop away as you go, leaving holes in the ground! Yikes, better take that leap! Don’t worry, if you miss, the bottom of the hole is filled with marshmallow fluff in bright pink, yellow, and pastel purple. (Kind of reminds you of something, huh...?) Down in the hole are rungs and footholds to get yourself back out, but boy, will that put you behind the other guy if they didn’t fall. Well, guess victory will have to be a little sweeter than you planned! C ⦿ Gettin' Brewy With It Now, this activity probably seems a little safer. Welcome to the “Brew” tent. Participants will be given ingredients, space, and set up in pairs to brew up a tasty drink! A variety of ingredients are available and with it, participants will be taught the Recipe: Brewery. This spell can be used to accelerate brewing and distilling processes for alcoholic drinks. Of course, if someone who is too young to drink according to their world's rules, any alcohol in the drink will evaporate, so it's really only a spell that's useful for adults... but everyone can participate in making drinks. You can pick any ingredients you want, but all participants are instructed that a sprinkle of that magic at just the right time will make it perfect. When asked what the right time is, all they will be told is they’ll know when. Some may get it right, depending on instinct. Others might sprinkle too much and cause the drink to burst all over them and their partner, and their workstation or have some other silly side effect, like make them hiccup uncontrollably or catch a case of the giggles. Or maybe they cast for too long or too short a time and the drink turns sour, turns to ash, grows wings on the cup, and flies away. Brewery magic can be fickle, so there's lots that can go wrong.. but get it right, and you can have one heck of a drink to enjoy! 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. • 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 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

[crimsongirl]

[At least he wasn't making fun of her, unlike certain other people.]

Just choose a color based on what they look like. Maybe that can earn some brownie points with them.

[Blending with the target was about the only strategy she had here.]

[whatsamada]

Then let’s go with a red one!

[He said before picking a red carnation flower. As he does so, he brings it back to the older teen.]

If we are going to win them over, it better be the red one. They’re always the leader in any group!

[crimsongirl]

Heh, guessing you love the Tokusatsu stuff then?

[Homura recalled watching the shows back when she was a little kid, one of the only things she could enjoy while taking a rare break.]

[whatsamada]

Wait, how did you...?

[At that moment, Ken just stared at Homura in shock and horror! How did she know about his love for children’s shows?!]

That’s not the point! It’s important we impress the red dragon before we do anything else!

[crimsongirl]

Yeah yeah, we need a test dummy first. Tsumuji!

[Her snake familiar rose up, leering before Ken as it tried to look taller. She pat the serpent on the head to calm it back down; seemed it too inherited some of Homura's traits.]

Easy girl. Just let this guy put some flowers on ya and get the dragon's attention okay? You can take a few shots from a few babies, right?

[The snake nodded, briefly lighting up on fire, as if to prove its point.]

Taking that as a yes.

[whatsamada]

[As soon as Ken saw the snake, he had to take a step back. In that moment, his familiar, Jack Frost, also couldn't help but be a little scared.

It was one thing to deal with a familiar but it was another to see one glare at him!]

Well, all right then but she better not bite me! I rather not have another animal try and fight me again. [Because dealing with birds was bad enough, he didn't need to deal with snakes too! However, as soon as he looked at the flowers and then back at the snake, he had to ask her this.]

By the way, you know how to make a flower crown? [He sure doesn't!]

[crimsongirl]

Uhhhh....nope.

[She looked dumbfounded. Didn't think her anything in her training could help with that. The mission really should have more specific stuff, at least little notes or something.]

Can you call someone or something? Maybe they can give ya instructions?

[She knew how to make some tools, but that...was a bit out of her field. Maybe if Yomi or Haruka were here, they could...]

[whatsamada]

I could but I'm not sure if there is anyone I know who knows how to make one.

[Although, he could always ask Rise to him him out but he rather not. Knowing how he wanted to see himself as independent, he could do this one his own right? With a huff, he looked down at the flowers before attempting to make a flower crown himself!]

But it shouldn't be too hard to make one, right? All you need to do is get a lot of flowers and tie them up at each end!

[He said before looking at Homura.] How about you have your familiar give me some more flowers and I'll try my best to make one. [This will go well, right?]

[crimsongirl]

[As they were talking, the familiar had gone away, Homura not even noticing until Ken spoke up about his plan. Well, it was the only option they had. Not like crowns would suddenly make themselves appear.]

Alright, let me just call back Tsumuji and--

[The serpent appeared...wearing a flower crown...Homura's eyes were wide and she just pointed at the creature.]

How...no hands...

[It merely stuck out its tongue, and waved its tail playfully.]

....Okay, I guess Tsumuji can teach you or help? [She shrugged, still confused as all hell; don't ask her, she just met the familiar!]

[whatsamada]

[Meanwhile, Ken just stared at the snake before looking back at Homura. He didn't have any idea of how the snake was able to do that either but he wasn't going to argue against it.

Instead, he looked at Tsumuji before kneeling down to her level.]

Can you tell me how you made one? I'm not really familiar with how to make a flower crown so I could really use your help.

[Teach him how to make one senpai Tsumuji!]

[crimsongirl]

[The snake began to show Ken how, grabbing the colored flowers Ken had wanted and slowly showing how it made the crown. As expected from just a tail and mouth, it was difficult. But the serpent didn't complain, and showed off the crown by placing it in Homura's head.

Who was too busy being shocked by this revelation to even care about the ridiculous thing.]

...this world makes no frigging sense.

[Then again, neither did her world and...certain elements not suitable for Ken to hear.]

[whatsamada]

[As Ken looked at the snake, he really didn't know what to think. He was too busy being memorized at how the creature could make a flower crown without any hands and make it seem to simple.]

No it doesn't but I suppose that is the nature of this world. Not a lot of things do make sense but I can't complain.

[He gave a pause]

It isn't as if my world makes any sense either.

[crimsongirl]

I would be surprised if anyone was really normal to begin with.

[They had all been pulled here for one reason or another. Something had to be off, and she doubted everyone was eager to spill details.

The snake poked at Ken's direction, and then back at the crown, silently telling him to make the crown himself now.]

[whatsamada]

[And here, Ken was attempting to make a crown by himself. He had to admit, this was definitely something he wasn't use to. Despite his tries, he couldn't help but give a small sigh.]

This is a lot harder than it looks. How do you even tie the ends without having them break...?

[He mumbled to himself.]

[crimsongirl]

[The snake hissed in annoyance, eyes narrowing as she prepared to flick Ken's hands.

However, Tsumuji instead turns around, handing Homura the flowers.]

Seriously? Not doing it, so do it yourself

[Tsumuji hissed with the flowers in her mouth.]

And I said: No!

[The snake hisses once more, almost as if it could talk, and nearly mimicking Homura's way of speech.

Homura was about to yell again before realizing how the dragons seemed to be looking in their direction. Anymore fighting was pointless, given what would try to chase them off. She sighed.]

Fine just....[Homura took a deep breath, eyes closed. Needed to be calm. Needed to be focused. Needed to do this job, since clearly Tsumuji didn't intend to make things too easy for them.

As if to help, Tsumuji tapped her tail against Ken's leg, and pointed at Homura focusing on just grabbing the flowers.]

[whatsamada]

[At the same time, Ken just looked at the bickering between her familiar at at Homura. He knew the feeling all too well when it came to mischievous familiars and making things all the more worse.

With a sigh, he looked at the dragons and walking over to the older teen.]

Okay, let's see here...I think you're suppose to do this. [He said before picking up a flower and tying it around another flower.

He had no idea what he was doing but he hoped it would work!]

[crimsongirl]

[As Ken tried to figure it out, Homura kept struggling to touch it. With a deep breath and closed eyes, she slowly grabbed it. And hey, didn't turn on fire! Now there was just remembering what Tsumuji taught her...

Which turned out to be easy to do. Spending so much time forming tools, tying the knots Ken had trouble with was surprisingly easy. And voila, the crown was born. When she opened her eyes, she blinked.]

...Huh. That was easier than I thought.

[whatsamada]

[When the crown was formed, Ken too had to raise an eyebrow in surprise.]

Then how about it? You want to try and give it to the dragon?

[He said before looking at her flower crown before looking at his own. There were a lot of things he was still learning about but this was one where he felt his pride being shot. For something so simple, it was certainly a lot harder than he thought.

That's why he gave a small mumble or two. For a moment, this is where he'll allow himself to act like a child.]

[crimsongirl]

Yeah no. If I gotta wear this shit, so do you.

[To which she moves near him and tries to help guide his hands to tie it correctly. A bit forceful, but she also just wanted this kid to do it right.]

You gotta tie it like this. It's tricky, but possible. Think about it slowly if you gotta.

[whatsamada]

[Ken knew next to nothing about flower crowns but seeing Homura explain it to him? Well, he had to admit, he figured this was always a girl's thing to do so he shouldn't be surprised he did it better than he could.]

Like this?

[He said before attempting to tie the ends together. So far, he was doing fine but it was clearly not as well as Homura's. Finally, as he tied the final two flowers together, he gave a small smile.]

And there, what do you think? I think I did it pretty good if you ask me! [When in fact, it was decent at best.]