TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 6

[avalonmods]

Check out the OOC intro meme for this month to say hi to new players/characters!

{ 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 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 mossatees to help rescue any wayward new arrivals. Mossatees are a special Avalonian manatee that is green in color and has what appears to be a patches of grass or other short plant life growing on its back. While some are fully green, many sport blooming flowers or fairy circles 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, a pair of earbuds, and animal-themed ponchos 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. Which given the fact that it's pouring down rain in April? Not ideal. You were only given ponchos, not rain boots. 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. Unfortunately, due to a bee infestation and massive amounts of rain, the hot springs of the Red Springs are not available this month! Instead, an underground salt cave is offered as a way to relax and unwind. Gather around in the rejuvenating, dimly lit caves and breathe in the relaxing effects of salt crystals. Feel the sand between your toes, or if you don't like sand, try one of the many pools with tiny garra rufa for a fish pedicure. Or, lie down in a recliner and stare up at the "stars"-- magic sparkles in the ceiling that move to spell out single-word concepts you may be experiencing. (Maybe you're relaxed? You might get something like "Chill." Find your relaxation buddy hot? Just be careful to look away before the stars spell "Thirsty" to the whole room.) 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. As it turns out, a mythical land that's been around for a few centuries has a few things in common with many modern worlds. It's got the internet, and games have evolved a little bit past hoop trundling and draughts. April, being the traditional month of mirth and games and lots of rain making it hard to have fun outdoors, is the time for Camelot City Gaming Convention, affectionately shortened to CameCon. Come into the large convention center located in the south part of town, get dry, and check out some of the awesome things to do. A ⦿ Couchless Co-Op Without the massive audiences required to really run MMORPGs, Avalon is much more a fan of couch co-op style gaming. Though most games are available on mobile devices throughout Avalon when they are released, there's nothing quite like coming to CameCon to utilize the gaming stages for everyone's favorite fighting games. Multiple players at a time can plug in their phones and connect their accounts to a light magic-based illusion stage (powered by multiple light mages at a time, once a year only!) roughly the size of a basketball court. Fighting games can be played tournament-style on the phone next to your opponent for some awesome trash talk during your battle. Race through space with this year's popular NASTAR Racing Game (National Association for Space Travel Auto Racing) game and fight off space pirates in an epic Mario Kart-esque racing and item battle adventure with your choice of star ship. Or plug your phone into the stage podium and get away from the humdrum fantasy life by joining in a live-movement game that combines synchronous kinetic and light magic. Move your body in the vortex illusion of your favorite rhythm dance game with a buddy! Or maybe you're more into the free-style gaming of Grand Theft Automation with both friends and strangers-- step onto the illusionary stage itself to explore crawling cityscapes and live the life of crime you always dreamed of... at least the cops won't really arrest you if you do it here. Just make sure if you use magic you remember you're on a stage and don't accidentally send some flying off at a poor convention go-er just past the illusion stage. B ⦿ Arthurian RP in your Arthurian RP None can forget one of the most important of game types: the roleplaying game. There's a huge historical set game going on right now where characters can LARP as their favorite Knight of the Round Table. There may be a couple of arguments if two Lancelots end up in the same game, but don't worry, there's a fair way of determining who gets the part for this game if you don't want to wait for the next storyline: rock-paper-scissors-magic. Instead of the traditional version of RPS, you shake your fists and open up to whatever hand-held spell you can make with your particular brand of magic. If it's something that can overcome the other kind in less than three seconds, you're the winner. (And yes, even healers can play-- some protective magic to block a dark magic pain curse is definitely going to win out, for example!) Either way, once your role is decided, put your acting skills to the test! ...and if you don't have any, well, they have costumes that will help you get into the mood with a little dress-up and props that will magically give you sword skills... though only while using the dull-edged plastic props. Or you can just sit on the sidelines and have a picnic on the concrete floor of the center with a potential new pal and watch other people play-- there's a lovely little buffet table with pastries, coffee, and juice in the corner. C ⦿ It Figures... A convention isn't a convention without a little shopping. Come check out what cool games are upcoming in the exhibit hall, buy figurines of your favorite game characters (or.. new ones you've never heard of since this is a new world, but are still cute and/or kick-ass), and most importantly, check out the cool magic you can apply to them. A spell available for purchase in the convention hall that's popular this year is Recipe: Figure Anima, which makes your figures move in place and say popular lines as if they're an actual, miniature version of the character. It's recommended you practice while you're in the convention hall though so figure experts can help if things go.. awry. People have been known to have their own emotions influence the spell, and sometimes toys have started taking on the attitude of the caster. There's nothing quite as tragic as your favorite angelic game character telling you they're gonna kick your ass because you were in a fighting mood. So OOC. Maybe you can find someone who's a little better at magic to fix the problem? Of course, when the rain breaks through and floods the exhibition room, there's a lot of mass hysteria as people scream and climb up onto tables, trying to protect their merch above all else. Hurry, help someone else up onto your table before their ent dakimakura they just purchased gets wet! Only you can save the gamers from water! ..Or that's what you thought, until a second later the electricity goes out and you're left in a total electricity blackout in the convention hall. It may be a good idea to use some magic to try to light the way and find a way out of the flooded hall... A ⦿ Keep Your Vines to Yourselves With magic blossoming left and right because of the bountiful spring equinox rituals, things have been getting a little stranger around the Broceliande. Though it's always been known for being a little odd, there is an overgrowth of prehensile, very friendly vines populating the forest now. The vines seem to have minds of their own, sometimes grabbing people, pulling them up into trees, or generally wrapping around them as if trying to get a warm hug. Ultimately, they seem relatively harmless.. except when you can't get down from them. Hopefully, you've got some kind of destructive magic that can help you fight off the overly friendly vines as you head into the forest to investigate the strange reports citizens have been making of their friends and family disappearing in the generally friendly, if odd forest when they've gone to fetch herbs or other supplies, gone on walks, or who knows what else from the forest. It seems like the best way to get the vines to let go without magic is to tickle the person the vines have captured, so you really better hope you're ticklish... and there's someone willing to really go in on it. It takes a lot of laughter to get these vines to leave you alone! B ⦿ Selfies with Selkies Those who continue on with their investigation after avoiding or escaping the vines will find a very, very large flower that seems to have taken route in a sink hole in the middle of the forest. Hundreds of vines seem to be coming from it, and it seems like this flower may be the source of all of the vines throughout the forest. It won't attack unless you attack it first and it seems to almost immediately regrow any vines that are destroyed. If the flower itself is attacked, it will rise up and attempt to eat your character with thousands of tiny shark-like teeth that lie where the pollen of its flower should be. Those who try to fight will find it seems virtually unkillable and immovable. It is neither plant nor animal and seems to have a thousand minds and souls held within it that somehow feel incomplete, so it's largely incommunicable even with cognitive or death magic. It's definitely a strange find, and it could be easy enough to assume the missing people tried aggression as their first tactic and got gobbled up... Take a trip up to the Archivist will lead them to find a book that includes information on the species: The Cereus de Anima. This giant flower rapidly grows when a seed from the Land of Rot transfers via someone's clothing to an appropriate forest environment and is known to absorb a piece of a person's essence from anyone it touches with its vines. People often seem to go missing for a short period of time when one of these appears, then come back behaving a little differently but ultimately don't seem to be in distress. No one is quite sure what the cause of this is. There doesn't seem to be any record of there being lasting damage, however questionable the plant is... The Archivist, upon seeing you researching the plant, says that he's heard some of the lake's residents just off of the Silent Shore have some experience with one. He hands you a couple baskets of some specially anti-rust enchanted parts and tells you he was supposed to deliver them to a Selkie man living in the lake for a project he's working on. You and a partner can make the delivery and ask your questions from him. The Selkie isn't going to be particularly friendly to fellow men, not trusting human men farther than he can throw them, but will decidedly try to seduce women as Selkie men are known to be extremely handsome and flirtatious with human women. Non-humans he will be neutral toward. It's best to go in pairs so you don't end up on a whirlwind candlelit beach picnic with a shirtless selkie in exchange for information about how to uproot a Cereus de Anima. (At the very least, the selkie will want you to take a selfie with him before you leave so that you have something to remember him by, and you'll always be welcome back if you change your mind.) Regardless of how much of a challenge it is for you to get to that point, as long as he gets the delivery from the Archivist, he'll eventually tell you and your traveling partner about how he heard that there used to be a village at the edge of the Dusklight Woods that was overrun with one of them, and that there's only one survivor who moved to in a cottage on the other side of the Pure of Heart Bridge.. Those familiar, yes, it is the old man that Morganna tried to kill and save in a quest a couple of months ago! Time to travel all the way back to the Pure of Heart bridge and make your way over to the cottage and talk to the man and it sure seems like this quest is long and tedious and you may be wondering if someone will have noticed you're gone... C ⦿ The Answer is No Back in Camelot City, it seems that anyone who's been touched by the vines has been replaced by a doppelganger in their lives. They're just barely off from the original- they have all the memories, but may be slightly more skilled at things they didn't used to be, or may seem to make less ethical choices than they might otherwise. There's just something slightly off. But when people start using AOL to contact their friends and let them know they've been gone.. well, it may seem like the jig is up, or at least in question. Those who find out they've been replaced may want to return to Camelot quickly to try to reclaim their lives. Doppelgangers will attempt to kill their original if they come into contact with them when they aren't around other people, so you may need to flee for your life if you haven't gotten good enough at magic to defend yourself yet. Around other people, the doppelgangers will do their best to try to prove themselves the real person and since they were made from the original, will have the same memories as the original character so asking questions that "only ___ would know" may not work. Eventually it will come out that the doppelgangers have occasionally wriggling vines instead of spines underneath their clothing, if you're willing to check that to see who's real, but that won't be common knowledge. What can be found out from the old man at the Pure of Heart bridge if you choose to leave your doppelganger alone is that Cereus de anima doppelgangers can only live for a month without killing their original and absorbing the rest of their essence. However, if the original plant isn't taken care of with a special venom you can only obtain from certain creatures in the Forest of the Fisher King, the problem will just keep happening over and over until the city is overrun and becomes nothing but a breeding ground for the flower and its replicas. 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. • You can have any animal-style poncho you want! They are themed, not made from actual animals. No animals have been harmed in the making of these ponchos!! • TIMELINE: The resolution to the third prompt will be in April's event! The first two prompt sets will be during the first week of the month. The doppelganger problem and obnoxious traveling and research will be occurring for the second and third weeks of the month. • People with green magic may be able to fill something off about the doppelgangers, but may not be able to identify what it is right away. Blood mages will be able to feel that their blood feels the same as the original as they are essentially copies. Cognitive people will be able to use their magic normally except for hypnotic suggestion- the doppelgangers are immune to it, so while you may be able to find other ways to out them, hypnotizing people to tell the truth won't work this time. Doppelgangers are made from the essence of the person, so they will be able to access their phones and accounts. Note that the Cereus de Anima and doppelgangers are not fairies and cannot be contracted with. If a Death Mage attempts to possess a doppelganger, it will technically come in contact with the doppelganger's vine and may end up with more than one doppelganger depending on how many times they try it. Siphon magic can be used to destroy a doppelganger easily, however, the essence that was stolen from the original's soul may be destroyed in the process so it is not recommended as the original may start to feel as though they are no longer a whole person. • 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. Make sure to read the Red Spring section on this month's even if you're normally familiar-- the springs are closed this month, check out the alternate prompts! • 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

B!

[konpeito_aji]

[The first three times she says it, Oda resists the totally completely VERY manly urge to giggle, like the hopeless idiot he is. By the fourth time she mutters it, he glances over at Mitsuhide. SEE? He told you LOTS of people keep saying it! Even this woman!]

[By the fifth time he gives up resisting! And just outright chuckles. Okay it's more of a giggle, he can't HELP IT. He has one normal VERY VERY loud overly exuberant laugh, and it drives everyone around him insane. He's trying to curb it! The result of not doing the overly loud idiot laugh, is he sounds like a child who just discovered porn.]

Something wrong?

[Don't mind his cocky asshole expression. That's his resting face. He has two faces. Cocky arrogant Demon King, and "time to murder you and your entire family" Demon King. Not too much else.]

[avowedvengeance]

[ Ceres's head snaps up towards Nobunaga. Not in surprise--she was already aware of his presence--but in readiness. Finally! Maybe this, er...nice (?) looking guy will have an answer for her.

Her expression, though, betrays none of this. It's stuck on a half-scowl.

She gestures towards the half-filled page her tome is opened to. ] Where the fuck are my spells?

[konpeito_aji]

[He can't help it! He instantly cracks up laughing loudly!]

[IT'S JUST SO FUNNY, ALL RIGHT!?]

[He's never going to be taken seriously like this, but whatever. Fool of Owari it is then!]

I have no idea what you mean.

[Well, he knows the words individually, but not all together.]

[He looks at the page... and gives himself an instant headache for all the word scramble. REGRETS!!!]

What kind of writing is this?!

[Ughhhhh give him a second to massage his eyes and temples. He was a poor student to begin with, but he has gone out of his way to see Roman alphabet, Arabian, Russian characters, the works. Even if he can't utilize them himself.]

All right, if I had to surmise...

We're all able to converse within the same language here, though names don't change, probably just approximate, [Like confetti -> confeito -> konpeito! (His favorite candy!)] but I've been using the... smart phone. [A little hesitant on the word, but he says it without stumble!] And the writing has been interchangeable. Nothing like that.

I guess because... [THE HAUGHTIEST ASSHOLE SMIRK EVER!!!!] Magic isn't real? Or, at least not something that can translate everywhere the same way.

[avowedvengeance]

Magic's real, asshole. [ Flat, composure maintained in the literal face of someone who has just started to laugh maniacally. Keep calm, Ceres, you don't want to destroy the caravan. ] It's just that my spells were here, but they're gone now. Look. [ She points to an empty spot on the page. ] Shocking Grasp? Gone. [ She flips to an earlier page and points to another blank spot amongst the maddening script. ] Ray of Frost? Gone. And you're telling me some translating nonsense erased them?

But this, [ She smacks an open hand down onto the page, fingers splayed out over the writing to cover it. ] is a script I like to call "N'un-ya".

[konpeito_aji]

No, it's not.

[Listen, he'll argue with Buddhist monks that their entire belief system is a pack of lies, and execute the ones that get in his way or genocide a whole mountain of them, like hell is he going to cede to magic.]

Do you have any other means to defend yourself besides lies and trickery?

[The worst asshole ever is this guy. He's proud of it too!]

three comments in and she's resorted to violence i'm so sorry

[avowedvengeance]

[ Lies and trickery? This power had brought in good money to give her an okay life on her own, it kept her safe from the less-than-savory, and it'd given her a direct assignment with the emperor. And now it's been snatched from her and reduced to lies and trickery?

In one swift motion, she slams the massive, metal-embellished tome shut, brandishes it above her head, and lets gravity guide the book its course towards the stranger's head. ]

Rofl he has it coming

[konpeito_aji]

[Yeah, he's kind of hard-headed even without the helmet. So he doesn't even block it!!!]

Is that all you've got? Time to invest in something real, don't you think?

[There is a reason so many people try to assassinate him constantly!!]

[avowedvengeance]

[ The fact it doesn't seem to phase him doesn't surprise Ceres much--she figures it's her noodle arms, after all--so she drops the tome in her lap and grabs his ear, digging her fingernails into the skin. Her other hand drops to her belt. ]

I'll give you something rea--

[ The caravan lurches, coming to a sudden halt. Ceres, already tense, barely budges. She whips her head up to the front to see Archimedes staring sternly. "You fighting back there? Next time I catch you fighting, you're walking."

Ceres lets go of Nobunaga's ear, not without pushing his head away first. ] Don't fucking try me.

[konpeito_aji]

[He growls in irritation at that! His ears are extremely sensitive! The gall!! He glances sideways to Mitsuhide, but Akechi is not Hideyoshi, and therefore a thousand times less likely to throw a fit or intervene. Which also means Nobunaga is free to do what he wants, and not get fussed at!]

[Pretending the ear thing didn't faze him at all, Oda Nobunaga leans both arms over her head and darkly answers back in a voice too quiet for anyone else:]

Big talk for someone without magic or much means to defend themselves.

[He doesn't relish walking, in the rain, but things just got as fun as a game of Go!]

[avowedvengeance]

[ Ceres sits with her arms crossed, looking straight ahead. Ignore him, ignore him, she chants to herself in her head. Walking the rest of the way won't be worth it. She clenches her fists really hard in an attempt to give herself an outward visage of calm. She won't let him embarrass him, if it's the last thing she does.

Meanwhile, the baby hydra hatchling perched on Ceres's head snaps at Nobunaga's fingers, but makes no real attempt to try and harm him. It probably thinks he wants to play. ]

[konpeito_aji]

[Awww! It's cute!!! Oda will totally play with the baby hydra and be unfazed even should it draw blood. Coochie coochie coo!!! Who's a baby orochi (that doesn't exist either!?), Yes you are!!! Actually, he's a lot more willing to believe in orochi and dragons could exist than magic and oni (even though his own familiar is an oni!) purely because racist Japanese nationalist pride they're just a lot harder to disprove, and have more hiding places than oni, and the Buddhist monks don't use them to scare villagers into subservience as much, if ever. Which is his main hatred for "magic."]

[He was hoping to goad the woman into revealing her weapons (if any!) Or at least convince her of the practicality of getting something to use here, but gosh, people clinging stubbornly to the past instead of broader horizon which is TOTALLY different from him and magic!!! - if that isn't the story of him trying to unite Japan in a nutshell!]

[Alas, he's really terrible at offering "help." 1) Because he's an asshole. 2) Because he's too used to just being able to order and demand what he thinks is best!]

[He can't teach her martial arts, he only wants to deal with her if she entertains him, and at the moment, she seems aware of that fact so is purposely giving him nothing, and unfortunately he doesn't have access to an extra gun. Still, any woman can use blades, and hide them up their sleeves or as hair decorations.]

[Leaning back in his seat, his heavy armor creaks.]

I have experience with teaching weapons and the art of war. I'm sure I could even teach a monkey. So if you're actually a good student, there must be something else you can use. [In before, "I don't want something new! I want my magic back!" Tell it to someone who cares, Nobunaga clearly does not!]

How did you get started in magic anyway?

[avowedvengeance]

[ The hatchling's little heads snap at different fingers, clearly enjoying the interaction. Ceres, meanwhile, makes no move, resisting the urge to swat at the hydra as it dances on her own head.

But she was not expecting him to eventually let up and offer her weapon lessons. What she felt boiling within her--a wholly new, yet somewhat familiar sensation--slowly simmers away. She keeps her fists balled tightly, though. She glances at him sideways, her brow raised. ]

I swore vengeance and, as stupid as it sounds, a higher being granted it to me. I sure as hell wasn't born with it. I had to work my ass off to get as good as I am.

But I know how to use knives. [ One, in fact, sits holstered on her belt, but on her side opposite to Nobunaga. ] And axes. They're practical. Multipurpose. [ She stays tense, keeping her guard up. She wants to be ready if this guy tries anything else, so she elaborates no further. ]

[konpeito_aji]

As good as you were. Just in case it doesn't work here.

[Nods about the axes, but gives a head tilt, and he's still playing with the baby hydra with his fingers!]

Is vengeance the only thing keeping you alive?

[avowedvengeance]

[ She bristles at the second question. That's a strange question, and for some reason she doesn't like it. ]

That's a stupid question. I'm alive because my body works. It's not like I'd cease functioning if I gave up or accomplished my goal. [ Now why she's still alive is a different question, one that she never really thinks about. But she wasn't going to start picking at old wounds now. ]

[konpeito_aji]

Are you sure about that?

Many fools have lost their lives trying get revenge on me. My goals are too big to be defeated without something just as strong.

[avowedvengeance]

Good. Then they're fools, they obviously weren't ready for what was waiting for 'em. They deserve it.

And obviously. [ She glances sideways at Nobunaga again. ] I have plans for afterwards. I'm not gonna give up on that any easier.

[konpeito_aji]

[Shrugs. He doesn't even care. He can't even name them all.]

Good. Consider what you can do here and now. Even should they show up, killing them won't end your revenge, you'll have to do it back in your own time as well.

[avowedvengeance]

[ Unwittingly, a grin spreads across Ceres's face. ]

So be it. I'll kill them all a hundred times over if I have to. And I'll enjoy every moment of it.

[konpeito_aji]

[Yeah.... Nobunaga gets that.] Fun, right? See? Good things about being here already.