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

[everydayeveryway]

[Adelle, somehow, doesn’t interrupt or break the silence. Oh, she loves to talk — but she can read the mood. There’s times when she should be quiet. She knows this.

Besides... sometimes a little quiet isn’t bad. It’s companionable. It’s a chance to enjoy the puppy before they see them home.

And her familiar is causing enough mischief for them both, besides.]

[flamekthunder]

[Ah, what wonderful peace and quiet... Even the sounds of their familiars playing only adds to that sense of freedom and tranquility. And then all too soon it's finally time for everyone to load up into the strange carriages and head into the mysterious city known as Camelot. The pup seems a little nervous and is once again going to be clinging to Adelle as Eustace sits next to her, his wolf at his feet.]

Are you okay holding him for the whole way?

[everydayeveryway]

[Adelle's already got him -- held gently in her arms, one arm supporting his backside. She sits down in the caravan, pup in her arms; she glances sideways at Eustace. Her familar is... well... rolling around in the corner.

Wiki-Wikis are weird.]

Mm-hm! It's a perk, getting to hold the little guy.

[flamekthunder]

Hm... Then it's fine.

[It's not like he wanted to try holding him or anything he might have a little—]

[everydayeveryway]

...do you want to hold him?

[She's kind of wondering. Especially after earlier!]

[flamekthunder]

[There's just a very big pause as he looks over at the pup, something of glimmering desire in his eyes before he glances away.]

..........It's fine.

[He totally doesn't sound fine.]

[everydayeveryway]

Oh, come on, Eustace.

[She sighs.] I can hand him over and stay close by, so he'll feel comfortable.

[flamekthunder]

[That mix of wanting to along with fully aware how dogs are usually wary of him. There's a bit more of a resigned look as he continues to stare at the pup—which is probably not helping as the pup shrinks back from his intense gaze.

Seeing this he hastily looks away, rubbing his brows.]

Sorry...dogs are usually wary of me to begin with, so I'm not sure if it would be a good idea to force it.

[His wolf familiar just lift its head up to stare at him, as if to say, "Well get better at it then!" before looking at Adelle. Please help its dumb partner.]

[everydayeveryway]

Look... you can't look at a puppy that way. You're doing this really intense look -- and animals have a way of reading mood and body language. If you look tense... then they'll feel tense.

[She pats the puppy. There, there. Soothing motions... and then she looks down at the wolf. There's a nod there.]

So take a deep breath. Relax your shoulders. Then, we'll pass him over slowly, okay?

[flamekthunder]

I know that...

[Just something of a grumbling mutter, but some things just couldn't be helped. He's been like this for so long, trying to be soft can be strangely difficult at times. Doesn't help that he's been on edge since arriving.

But she has a point. He takes a breath and tries to relax himself, to not be so guarded that leads to that intimidating air. It takes a moment, some of that tension relaxes and he glances over at her with a nod.]

Okay.

[everydayeveryway]

[She gives him a look... but, he relaxes. Or maybe he's trying to. So Adelle watches -- smiles -- and then pats the puppy reassuringly. Then, she steps closer.]

We're just going to hand you off to your Uncle Eustace, now, okay? Everything will be fine and your Auntie Adelle is right here.

[Then she starts to hand the pup over. Nice and slow, no sudden movements, just keeping it real comfy...]

[flamekthunder]

[Uncle Eust—

He shoots her a bewildered look before he has a puppy to worry about. Hesitantly he holds out his hands, again trying to keep himself calm, but...

....But......

.....In truth, it had been quite a while since he's been in close proximity to a dog, and even longer since he's held one, the most he's ever done being simple headpats. So even if he might not show it, he's actually rather excited at the prospect of being able to hold on in his lap.

But he tries to keep that eagerness restrained...which could make him seem even stiffer. HE'S TRYING IT'S HARD. Hopefully the pup doesn't pick up on Eustace's struggle.]

[everydayeveryway]

[Adelle just smiles back at the bewildered look. And winks. One might ask: why is she like this?

Only the gods know...]

Easy, easy... here, not so stiff, okay?

[The pup climbs over into Eustace's lap. A little reluctantly -- and when he stiffens up like that, it looks like he almost wants to bolt -- but Adelle pats him on the head. Then, she looks up at Eustace.]

Now... just relax, okay? Let him get comfortable.

[flamekthunder]

[Just. Quiet, somewhat strained voice.]

...Trying...

[He has a puppy in his lap he has a puppy in his lap he has a puppy in his lap.

Puppypuppypuppypuppy—

His fingers actually tremble a little in that strange joy of this feeling of the small creature in his lap, twitching as he hesitates on holding it. But when he senses and even hears that little cry of unease, he immediately mentally shakes his head.

Come on, Eustace! Just because this is the first time in Bahamut knows how long, he can't scare the little guy!

So he takes a deep breath, calms himself, and slowly, very slowly starts to stroke its back as a soft smile forms.]

[everydayeveryway]

[Adelle bites her lip. She normally isn't this excitable. But... this is so cute...

She keeps quiet for a moment as she watches -- then she bobs her head once -- and leans back, arms folding. The puppy seems happy, wagging his tail and looking delighted, and Eustace seems to be relaxing. She doesn't need to be ready to swoop in.

Adelle glances at him with a smile.]

It's nice, isn't it?

[flamekthunder]

Yes.

[A short answer as usual, but it's a softer one that still manages to convey the peaceful joy he's feeling right now. He may have had more chances to be around dogs and made some progress back home, but still, nothing quite like this. It also allows him to momentarily forget the stress and problems still waiting for him both back home and here.

Ah...the healing powers of small dog...]

[everydayeveryway]

Mm-hm.

[Adelle seems happy with this outcome. He looks happy; it looks like he really wanted to do this. Maybe, wherever he came from, he never really had opportunities to. She leans back and smiles.

And she stays quiet. No need to spoil the moment for him or make him feel rushed.]

[flamekthunder]

[Hope she doesn't mind the quiet for most if not the entire trip because that's exactly how he'll be—although he won't mind too much if small chatter is attempted.

And it won't be too much longer until they finally reach their destination, but now Eustace has a new problem.

The pupper is still asleep on his lap.

He's frozen because he doesn't want to get up and disturb the sleeping pup.]

[everydayeveryway]

[Adelle's trying to not smile too much, but it's hard. Because this is adorable.

But really... being frozen in place because a puppy is asleep on your lap... well, she's not about to disturb that.

That's the good kind of problem to have.]

[flamekthunder]

[ADELLE NO YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO HELP HIM.

In fact he's actually looking at you with a very rare, "I have no idea what to do right now, help??" face. Only, you know, somehow still in that serious way that only someone like Eustace can pull off, but even he can be helpless at times.

Although if she starts smiling too much or start laughing he might start glaring.]

oh my god 15 icons is never enough

[everydayeveryway]

[Adelle's biting her lip. Oh, she's not laughing, but that's an active struggle. And she's definitely smiling too much.

It takes a moment before she manages a very controlled question:]

Do you need a little help?

clearly must get more--

[flamekthunder]

[He sees how much you're smiling and he's definitely glaring.

But he also is trying not to because do not want to disturb pupper.

So just quietly—very, quietly—he mutters one word:]

Please.

I was in "waiting for the new credit card" limbo, IT WAS THE WORST

[everydayeveryway]

[She feels a little bad about smiling. But only a little.

She nods her head -- comes over closer -- and she picks up the pupper. It's quick, but gentle; pick him up, and then cradle him against her, so he'll have someone else to snuggle against.

It's quick.]

He's pretty tuckered out, isn't he?

but now i see you're free! ALL THE ICONS!!

[flamekthunder]

[Only once the pup is off his legs and miraculously still asleep does Eustace finally finds himself able to relax.

...And a little stiff, oof. He didn't realize how close his leg was to falling asleep right there. But he slowly stands, stretching a bit before he looks over the puppy. He's not sure why he can understand animals just yet, but for a brief moment he wonders if he'd be able to see their dreams...but no, that would be a terrible invasion of privacy so it remains a fleeting thought. He can only assume it's something good.]

To get to those cliffs on top of what caused him to run away would be a harrowing experience. We still need him to help tell us where he leaves, but...it's best if we can let him sleep for as long as possible. We can narrow the area from the information before and ask around if anyone's missing a dog in the meantime.

[And once they're out of the carriage, he feels a few raindrops on his head. It really is raining quite a bit around here, isn't it?]

every icon! ever!

[everydayeveryway]

Yeah... the poor guy must have been badly spooked. [Adelle's Kinetic magic is still new. She doesn't want to risk making him float; so she carries him, walking as carefully as she can. She doesn't want to move too fast or too hard, then wake him up.

She glances sideways at him -- and then Adelle grimaces, when a few droplets of rain hit her.]

Mm! It's raining again... that sounds good, though. Should we get somewhere dry, let him sleep? Or... try to get somewhere else?