avalaughs | TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 6

Entry tags:

TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 6

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

Fighting games

NASTAR Racing Game

rhythm dance game

Grand Theft Automation

really

B ⦿ Arthurian RP in your Arthurian RP

LARP as their favorite Knight of the Round Table

rock-paper-scissors-magic

dress-up

props that will magically give you sword skills

picnic on the concrete floor

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

overgrowth of prehensile, very friendly vines

destructive magic

without

tickle the person the vines have captured

B ⦿ Selfies with Selkies

very, very large flower

Take a trip up to the Archivist

Cereus de Anima

the Silent Shore

shirtless selkie

take a selfie

eventually

a cottage on the other side of the Pure of Heart Bridge

old man that Morganna tried to kill and save in a quest a couple of months ago

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The airbender's response takes the wind out from Zuko's sails just by the first look. He feels his heart clench and drop into his stomach at the following words, as a dark expression sets in over his face. He'd gotten the same response from Iroh. Has he been a fool under her thumb all this time? Had he deluded himself into thinking he was being wise to be kindhearted, when he was being just as thick as usual, Azula four steps ahead as usual? He looks weary, himself.

"I understand," he says softly, eyes downcast in his lap. "I wish I could explain— I know what you're saying, what you must feel... And I can't prove anything for her. But— it was you and Uncle who taught me to believe in the power of second chances. Third chances. Even Azula deserves redemption; she's a person, not a monster... But I know that's hard to believe for anyone who doesn't know her that closely. Even for Uncle. It used to be even for me. It's just— it's different, being spirited away. What's there to fight over here, away from everything else that matters? It's just us now, just us as people..."

This was the most honest case he's made in her favor so far. He'd been convicted in defending her against their uncle, feeling more gusto there, leaning on family ties. But Aang? There was nothing but Zuko's honesty to defend Azula.

"Zuko, I'd hope that were true, it's just..." How to explain things he wasn't there for? It wasn't even that she'd be enacting some evil scheme, just that the last time he met her - well after Zuko's timeframe, it seemed - she was...well. It had likely been better when she was categorically insane.

Who knew what waters she had found on the other side of seeing their mother again?

"I want to believe that, Zuko. I really do. But after all the times I've dealt with Azula..."

"I know, Aang — and... if something happens, I'll never turn against you, just know that," he promises, eyes fixed on the floor between his feet beneath a tightly knotted brow. It's still telling that the words 'if something happens' left his mouth, even while he's trying to defend her being 'changed' and all. He can't promise he won't defend Azula 'if something happens,' the same way he wouldn't promise Azula that he won't 'abandon' her for Iroh. But he knows he can promise that he won't betray Aang, whatever finding that middleground will entail. He has to.

"It's just— Someone needs to be there for her, Aang," he continues after a beat, and looks up with a soft sigh. "She needs me. She's all alone without me here. And I think that'd be worse for everyone — but especially for her..."

"Why would I even be afraid of that?" he asks. He trusts Zuko, and it worries him he feels he eve has to mention it.

He closes his eyes, breathing deeply to move back towards calm. This isn't his world. He doesn't know it. And he has to accept that.

"Ok. But if I'm here and she starts hurting people..."

"I don't know— you shouldn't be! Uncle just arrived recently, and when I told Azula, she accused me of wanting to abandon her for him, and I—" He grumbles, leaning forward a little to hang his head in his hands in some obviously pent up frustration.

"I don't wanna have to pick sides. We're all in this together now. I don't think she's gonna hurt anyone... But if she does, then I'll want to stop her, too. Just— without hurting her. But I don't think anything will happen. She doesn't have any motivation here — there's no reason to fight. She accepts that."

That's about as close to an 'alliance' as he's managed to get her to agree to.

What it sounds like is that she's still, emotionally, tremendously unstable. He also doubts that Azula, of all people, will lack motivation or a plan for long. Things change. For one, he's here.

Minds like Azula's...they tend to think in balances of power and in plans to achieve more of it. Seeing a tipping point could by itself prompt a change.

"I guess we'll see then," he responds, carefully.

There's so much weight in those five words, and Zuko can tell that for all their vagueness, they were carefully chosen, indeed. It hurts. His uncle's reaction was just as carefully articulated. That hurt, too. It's a tall order he's making, asking for anyone to understand his position with Azula. But Zuko's not expected anyone to readily accept and say 'Yeah, Zuko, that makes sense, take the high road!' Which is a testament to that he hangs out with sensible people who care about him, probably. But— Azula cares about him, too. Even if they can't translate that twisted love language these kids grew up learning together, suffering alone together in a palace, now suffering alone together in poverty, Zuko knows he understands things about her that no one else can... even if he can't understand her all that well, himself. Someone has to want to try, though.

"Yeah. I guess we'll see," he parrots darkly, casting his eyes aside with torn emotion. He had no expectations on how this might go, though he knew it wouldn't go over well; he'd not exactly imagined Aang's reaction. He doesn't imagine these things clearly quite as well as he speaks his mind clearly. And with years ahead of him still unknown, Azula and Aang together hold a delicate balance between them now more than ever.

He frowned a little.

"Zuko, she killed me. If it weren't for Katara, I'd have been dead. Or remained dead. She's tried to kill you, Katara...practically everyone I've ever cared about."

He closes his eyes, head dropping.

"Maybe it's true. You've been here longer. But can you understand why I'll have to see it with my own eyes?"

"Aang... I understand. I really do. I wouldn't ask you to change your perspective. It's only sensible. I need you to see her with your own eyes. Maybe you can see things more clearly than me, I dunno," he says, his gaze fixed to the floor between his feet, an almost pleading tone in his voice. "I— worry sometimes that I can't trust my own eyes fully, to be honest. But I need to try. I don't expect you guys to be best buddies with Azula all of a sudden, but— just understand... she needs me now."

His voice is softer, ruminative, dripping in uncertainty and conviction at once. No matter how far apart, when or where or why, that much is still consistently true of Zuko, how he can hold both these opposites in some unique delicate balance he tightropes like a trapeze through life. He will always have some duality to make sense of. And being so close to Azula now, more than ever before in their lives, definitely guarantees that.

"And I know it sounds crazy, but... I need her, too."

"Zuko...I think you know her better than anyone ever will. We'll see what comes to pass, but I'll...hope. I really will."

His own voice is determined. Whatever comes, he'll see it through. It helps knowing that, with Azula, there's only two possible outcomes.

"No, I...she's your sister, Zuko. That much I know you're right about."

"Exactly. Thank you for understanding," he says breathily, a soft sigh of relief chasing his words. "She doesn't have anyone else to look out for her, and in these worlds, she's not the fire princess — she's just some girl," he says, a bit of a sad grimace creeping onto his face. He's just some boy, too; but he's been that before.

"When she arrived in the other world, I was afraid she was gonna try to kill me — she was searching for me, mocking me, as soon as she arrived... But I was also afraid of what would happen to her without me around to look out for her. How would she make money, how would she eat, would she make friends? Can you see her working in a restaurant, Aang? Busing tables? That's what I did — that's not Azula, though. She got lucky by some twist of fate — our destinies are linked funny like this, I guess..." He manages a wry smirk, a dark look to the side. It's not so amusing now but still far more so than it'd been the moment they found this out.

"She ended up getting taken in by my best friend's roommate, by chance. Really nice guy. Yamamoto. He's here in Avalon, too. But— he's a rare one to wanna adopt Azula, y'know? And Gokudera was there to keep me informed, too. We got lucky."

She got lucky, that is. Zuko got headaches. But none that he had to take care of. That was Yamamoto's job then. Anonymously online upon her arrival, Zuko'd first warned Azula to accept kindness from strangers, which she didn't like the sound of; so he changed his angle to 'exploit the generosity of naive people.' Enter Yamamoto Takeshi — who is not as naive as he seems. Just a purely good-hearted hotblooded boy who's seen some rough things with some tough people. Azula was cute to him. He liked to help people. And help pretty girls. Who liked to kiss him. On a planet that required physical affection to survive. It worked out. But indeed, that's a big fluke by track record, Zuko's not wrong.

"But when Yamamoto started dating, um— s-someone else... Azula moved out, and was all alone. Here, Yamamoto doesn't remember anything from that world. He forgot her. All she has is me," he concludes, shaking his head and looking up to Aang with an exasperated look. Zuko never even made it to their fateful Agni Kai on the Day of Sozin's Comet before he was spirited away. He has no idea to what he speaks. This is a Zuko who hasn't even seen Azula broken down yet; doesn't even know she had a breakdown. This was Zuko's latent compassionate nature on full volume.

"Zuko, I..."

He shakes his head, standing, moving in a slow circle. What could he say to all that?

"She needs help Zuko, not just..." He stopped again. "She's never going to be just some girl, Zuko, no matter where she is, or what she does. Who she's been trained to be just doesn't magically fall away. And maybe she's been peaceful here because she hasn't seen anything worth attacking."

Because he knew how she felt about him - and that his very presence would upset the status quo. He wasn't good at figuring out how those things would play out, but...he knew they happened. Sudden changes weren't always good.

And, distracted as he is, he doesn't know he's wandering into a minefield. "I mean, you saw what it was like when we found your mother..." Because Avatar though he may be - he doesn't know the multiverse, or how it works.

Zuko’s blood runs cold through every vein.

“When we what...?!” he hisses through narrowed eyes, heat rising as the dust around those fateful words settle. Azula had clearly told him very little of their future, if even this was news to him. He can hear his blood pumping like drums in his head suddenly.

"You don't...?"

He paused, then stepped back. Well this was bad. This was very, very bad.

"I'm sorry, I really shouldn't have said that."

"Aang— ...How old are you," he asks again, more of a demand than a question, a strange look in his eyes.

He sighs, not at all liking where this is going.

"Fifteen, almost sixteen," he replies, quietly.

"...Three years," he mumbles under his breath, his gaze finding the ground again, hanging his head in his hands propped up on his elbows against his knees.

"Aang— I— I'm sorry. I don't know anything. The last memory I have from home, I'd just left the White Lotus camp on the Day of Sozin's Comet. I was on my way to the Fire Nation Capital with Katara on Appa, and... I woke up in another world. That's it."

It's a heavy admission, his voice thick with emotion. He'd tortured himself until Azula's arrival imagining that Ozai and Aang defeated each other, leaving Azula in charge; he had fever dreams over it for over a week, completely incapacitated by shock when he'd first arrived in that other world. But now? It'd been so much absorbed. Until Aang's arrival, that is. Now things aren't sitting right, even though he'd known they'd been off before, all along; now it was uncomfortable, like the moment when one moves one's foot and realizes it's fallen asleep, pins and needles through his whole being.

His hand goes to his forehead, and he leans his head back.

"Ugh how is that a thing?! Why is that a thing?" The last said with eyes wide and aggravated, hands spread as if the universe might actually answer the question.

"And why didn't I notice you weren't quite as tall?!"

He shook his head. He was pretty sure he was meant to be more observant than this.

Something about the 'tall' comment gets under his skin, and he makes a face at him for it.

"Look, lesson one with this outer-space mumbo-jumbo life, don't expect things anymore! Everything's random! You'll think life will start to make sense again for a while and then, bam— a new kind of crazy!"

He flails his own hands around in response. This is all a sore, sore spot, time-stuff. He needs a second to adjust. He doesn't know how to handle this. Sorry he's just... mouthy, Aang. This is his moment of a 'new kind of crazy.'

Zuko having an emotional response to an unforeseen situation? Perish the thought. Though he feels guilty at the sarcasm, even inwardly.

"Ok, ok, fine," he says, in a placating voice.

"Sorry, it's just—" He growls, shaking his head, sighing heavily with a pregnant pause before he explains. "Azula hasn't told me anything. I didn't want her to, though; I was afraid if I knew the future early, it'd mess things up or something, I don't know! But... my friend Gokudera just left and came back recently, I guess, and confirmed that we don't remember these places. Nothing that happens here has any bearing on our lives at home. That's what I thought, but I didn't want to risk anything. But now I have proof from someone I trust that there's no reason for me to stay in the dark. I'd be willingly blind now."

As if he's already not been this whole time.

He takes a solid minute to think over all of that, settling himself in again. In fact, what Zuko's saying...frankly, it helps his earlier case.

"Maybe she wanted to just be your sister after all," he said, finally. "At least for now."

"I really think she does, Aang," he agrees, but there's a complex look of conflicted pain growing on his face. "But if she wants to just be my sister, then our mother has everything to do with that, too."

This is all so much to process at once. Aang being here at all, trying to convince him to trust Zuko's judgment to trust Azula (because convincing him to trust Azula himself is out of the question), explaining time and space travel, finding out about their mother, all of it at once... Of course it hurts.

"I think...you and her need to talk before I say anything more."

Because any decision taken in haste, in this moment, will undoubtedly be the wrong one.

Zuko heaves a heavy sigh, turning a defused glance to the Avatar.

"You're right," he says simply, tone deflated, a scowl tugging his lips. This was a lot for him. But— truth be told, probably more for Aang, who, uh, just found himself spirited away. And now it's about Zuko. Surprise, surprise.

"I'm sorry, Aang— ...Uh, thanks for being honest."

What else is he supposed to say? He shouldn't say anything more, himself. This was a start to many conversations with Azula, and one he'd have to pick back up with Aang afterward, that much is certain. He wants his truth as a measuring stick. But it was a family matter first.

TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 6

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)