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

[machismost]

[ It's a true testament to how hard he at least tried to look at this book that he didn't even see Izuku wandering up. His face comes up immediately to gawk at his classmate. ]

Holy crap! Midoriya! Hey, man!

[ He greets, expression opening up in toothy grin. Obviously it's a pleasant surprise for him as well and not just because this nerd is the godsend he needed right now. ]

I'm here -- [ Kirishima reaches out to demonstrate by offering a boisterous tap to one of Deku's upper arms. ] You're here! We're gonna have to catch up while we lead these guys back to where they belong!

[fullgauntlet]

[Never fear this nerd is here to help figure out this language of flowers deal and to help some baby dragons! Although he's still wondering how they're going to get around some of the more aggressive dragons to pick some of the flowers they need. That will be tricky but he's fairly confident they can work that out! He can't be afraid of dragons either!]

It's good to see you-! I mean- With the dragons and the new world and everything too but... Yeah! Let's work together to get these baby dragons back to their home. Plus Ultra!

[He can't really help it- Seeing Kirishima is a bit of an energy boost. The guy always lights up a room. And since it's been a while for Izuku he does want to catch up.]

Ah. Okay. Let's see... [He flips through the instruction pages which list several colours and flowers.]

It says here that we should try to make a flower crown made up of flowers that will encourage them to follow us. What do you think Kirishima-kun? I don't think there's a flower that means food or anything... but there's ahh.. [...] Dahlia's mean good taste? But maybe we should pick something else...

[machismost]

[ Don't worry, Deku. Even if Kirishima doesn't have his hardening Quirk anymore, he's still willing to throw himself in harm's way! He can just heal up after! How bad could a few baby dragons be, really?

Kirishima has already decided on these logistics before he even took up the task. Nevertheless, he's encouraged to see Izuku. He's got plenty of questions, but he's also prioritizing things and it seems like the highest priority right now is to at least start the journey home for these critters before they get into the nitty gritty of checking in. ]

PLUS ULTRA!!

[ He gives a little laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. ]

You're totally right, dude! Maybe we shouldn't even mention food at all in case they think we're the food!

[ Kirishima actually lifts his own manual again, skimming it with an almost fresh set of eyes. There's something inspiring about the presence of a smarty like Izuku, just like he feels driven to go above and beyond for Bakugou, except there's less of an expectancy of a beating for incorrect answers. Gives him a little more room to spitball! ]

They like money, right? What about tiger lily? Not that I know what that'd look like.

Hey Midoriya, do you really think these dragons know all this symbolism? I mean what if we just pick out a bunch of gold flowers and go in?

[fullgauntlet]

[Izuku gives a nod and looks contemplative as he looks over the list of the flowers he has on the pages in front of him. Kirishima makes a good point that there might not be a real reason to use the meaning of the flowers too literally. But still, Izuku taps the page as he scrutinizes it all.]

Hmm... They are all babies... How much could baby dragons know about all of these flowers? But at the same time, I think I want to make sure we follow the directions just because we don't really know how smart they are. For all we know they could know the difference.

[Izuku is usually a stickler for rules and instructions so he doesn't want to stray too far from that. Better to be safe than sorry!]

But-! Ah, how about we use a combination of dahlias, tiger lilies and... [He scans the pages.] pink hyacinths for fun? Most babies like fun things?

[So they're still going to pick a bunch of flowers to see what happens! Time to get picking!]

[machismost]

[ The mention of fun, naturally, cuts an approving grin across Kirishima's face. He gives a thumbs-up. ]

Sounds like a plan!

[ But now... to the fact they need to cultivate flowers within the baby dragon territory... ]

I can try to call my um, my familiar? She'd be great for body-blocking for us, I think. But maybe we should make sure we know what we're going for first?

Tiger lilies probably are orange, but I don't know about the rest.

[ Come to think of it, though... ]

What's your familiar, Midoriya?

[fullgauntlet]

That's a great idea, Kirishima-kun! Where's your familiar?

[And maybe Izukui's familair can help out with picking ou the right flowers too--

Well- Izuku sighs lightly as he points over to a collection of those growing flowers where this tiny and very mundane looking goat is eating some of the weeds... Goat-chan, weeds aren't for eating...]

... Ahh... That's him over there...

[Maybe his own won't be so useful. Somehow his classmates have all gotten these big and fantastical creatures as familiars and here Izuku with a simple tiny goat. ... That would be his luck.]

[machismost]

[ Well first, he's gonna look at Midoriya's familiar. He wouldn't have recognized it as any different from any other goat... but he doesn't know much at all about goats. The more he looks at it, the more it does seem to hold a sort of ethereal quality to it; fur supernaturally clean, a round face that seems oddly familiar if not for the beard. It almost feels wrong to think of it as cute when he's witnessed Midoriya kick hard enough to cleave steel and he admires the guy in a few ways but... it's cute. ]

A-ah! She's over there!

[ Kirishima gestures across the hills to what probably looked, at first, to be a statue like those that sat outside certain homes and temples back home; a komainu. But almost as if he's animated it, the statue of stone turns her great head to look at the boys. She's as big as a horse and perhaps even thicker. There's little doubt she'd provide a fine barrier.

The redhead cups his hands over his mouth and calls out. ]

Heeyyy! Can you come over?

[ The beast of stone shifts; she seems in no hurry to lumber over to them. While she makes her way, he turns back to Midoriya. ]

She seems up to a few little dragons, right? We got this! I'll go for the tiger lilies or pink hyacinths. You and your familiar can go for the other ones.

[fullgauntlet]

[And in return Izuku's eyes do go wider when he sees Kirishima's familair! The creature is huge compared to Izuku's fuzzy white goat and looks powerful and almost as if she walked right out of some sort of folklore book... Izuku wouldn't say he's jealous but he does have to wonder how his classmates all turned up with such majestic powerful-looking beasts (and probably are powerful) while his tiny goat sits there chewing on weeds.

He loves you, goat. But this really would be Izuku's whole luck...]

W... Right- Okay, I think we can handle that. We'll work on the other batch of flowers but if you need help just call out.

[He takes a tentative step and then finally heads off to scoop up his familiar in his arms and takes a look at the gaggle of dragons that are mulling about the patch of flowers. They don't look entirely dangerous but they are freaking dragons.]

Are you ready, Toshi-chan?

[And the goat bleats before wiggling out of his grip before just walking towards the dragons??? No fear???]

Wait-!!

[... But the dragons seem to look down at him and just blink. There's no aggression??]

Please don't eat him... Ahhh...

[machismost]

[ Kirishima believes that Izuku is a powerful person of notability thanks to his development throughout their classes, a mind and a strength to be admired during their trials ( minus the time Midoriya and Bakugou threw down and got on house arrest, though even that made him wish he'd seen it in spite of knowing it was wrong )... Consequently, he has made Izuku's goat familiar Very Important in his mind. He will possibly be disavowed of this belief eventually...

For now, his own stony familiar lurches into place and gives a gentle rumble to 'Toshi-chan'. She's got you if you get into trouble...

But she's going to let Toshi-chan do the 'talking', sort of the Big Stick to his Talking Soft.

Kirishima watches, tensely, before glancing towards Midoriya. He slowly begins to edge towards the orangey flowers that he thinks might be tiger lilies in the field, though he's keeping an eye out for Midoriya. ]

[fullgauntlet]

[It's odd. Izuku doesn't know all that much about what his goat-shaped familiar can do yet. He's seen so many different types by now. All shapes and sizes and powers. Fiery phoenixes, giant dire wolves with sharp teeth, actual live kappas... They're all so fantastical and amazing. But he hasn't seen his goat do anything particularly out of the box?

Until now- As Izuku shoots Kirishima the same sort of unsure worried look of his own. The goat still walks up to the gaggle of grazing dragons without a flicker of fear. Even going out of his way to bleat happily at Kirishima's familiar like there's nothing to be worried about because this goat is here.]

Toshi-chan-!

[And as he approaches the dragons to seem to look down at the little thing. Sniffing the air curiously and then going right down to nuzzle the goat with a dangerous-looking snout. There's a happy growly noise from them before they all start making chattery noises with the goat as if they've been friends for a while!]

Wha- ... I can't believe it. [Izuku's eyes are wide!] I didn't know he'd make this look so easy but I don't think I'm going to complain about that. I guess I underestimated him.

[He nods at the other boy and then carefully makes his way over to start picking the flowers needed while his goat socializes! What a plan!]

Let's get the flowers while we can, Kirishima-kun!

[machismost]

[ The komainu sits back on her haunches, looking for the world very much like a guardian misplaced from civilization in the midsts of these verdant fields. But make no mistake, one of her paws is raised as if missing some invisible ball beneath it or a lady accepting a kiss; in reality she's ready to reanimate and spank a naughty baby dragon if it comes down to it.

Kirishima only stares for a moment before Izuku spurs him to action. He's snatching up as many orange flowers in his vicinity as possible! Fortunately for the plants in question he's just plucking things off the stem and not yanking them up by the root - most of them will probably regrow, if not more blooms then foliage for the coming year that may later yield blooms once more.

He moves towards their meeting spot - perhaps literally where they met up to plot this or else a more strategic spot - with his arms full of orange but also a few red and pink lillies. He wasn't certain what all counted, though the petals of the flowers looked similar to him. ]

Okay! It looks like your guy's got it! That's one hell of a nice surprise, man... So how do we put together these crowns?

[ We can feel free to chat some more or we can skip to a mid or post-journey scene! ]

[fullgauntlet]

[Izuku is very impressed and happy about his little goat familiar right now! The little one has zero fear of those dangerous-looking dragons and honestly who does the goat get that from? Maybe in a sense, he gets it from Izuku himself. When a job has to get done a job has to get done? Either way- They gather up as many of the flowers as they can and start off on their way before the dragons can change their minds about a goat-flavored snack!]

I think we got as much as we're going to need, Kirishima-kun! I'm kind of surprised it worked out so well... Aha...

[But yes, eventually they do move to a safer place to construct some of the needed flower crowns and perhaps chat about the ongoing of things. Izuku now sits with the pile of flowers they've collected with his goat safely back at his side.

... And then he looks unsure. Uhhh.]

Erm... I- I don't actually know how to put flower crowns together... I think the girls might...? Unless you know how to?