TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 8

[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 ⚔️️ SUMMARY: New arrivals drop into the lake and have to climb up a cliff to the Rent a Ride, where they are given their device and some headphones and can retrieve their personal materials. They travel to Camelot, which is a multiple day journey, so they stop at the Red Springs along the way and stay at an inn there. 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, helping to rescue any wayward travelers who look like they're struggling in the water. This month's helpers are giant pillow jellies, a species of jellyfish that is capable of ballooning itself at the surface to create bouncy pads for characters to hop across to the shore, should they choose or not be able to swim. They come in a variety of bioluminescent colors, but do not seem to be very talkative even to animal magic users. Those who try may find themselves being ignored, even if they hear the jellies talking amongst themselves about this and that. If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. 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. (Though.. given how hot and muggy the weather is this first week, maybe you might want to ask him to toss you right back into the lake where the waters are still cool.) *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 ear buds (the supplier was out of the regular ones) 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. SUMMARY: Merlin has a Plan B in case Camelot failed the trials: raise a sunken ship and offer it to the Elphame Traders on their way out in exchange for permission to travel their waters. Characters prepare for ritual magic to raise a sunken ship and travel underwater at the empty Camelot docks to gather ritual ingredients for it. After they've done all they can, Merlin sets up a little beach party with a bit of master magic for anyone who came along for the trip. After arriving, people may have heard about recent events-- the people of Camelot voted against war and to instead accept the trials of the people of Celliwig. The trials are now concluded, and a good number of people are emotionally exhausted and taking time to recover. Word from Celliwig has not yet arrived, but across multiple social media platforms, including AOL, there are clips of Merlin's cryptic addendum to Arthur's announcement along with notes that the meeting date was delayed a couple of days due to the awful weather and a need to rest after how bleak the trials were to some people. With people down and out, it won't hurt to have the new arrivals pitch in and learn a thing or two. "Lucky me, we've got a decent group. Celliwig's out of our hands now, but what isn't is a back-up plan. Vote was close enough I figured we'd have enough people to get a head start. Celliwig is closer and much less dangerous to deal with, we'd be able to communicate much faster with the faeries' queendom. They're not big on internet. Big followers of the Old Ways. T-L-D-R, we can't just text the queen and ask if drop-bys are on the table. We'd never make it past the leviathans without permission, so here's the plan: There is a... fixer-upper of a vessel sunken about a hundred yards from shore tossed out from Bermuda. We tried to build docks here forever ago, but you can guess the Bermuda triangle spitting out stuff in the lake all the time didn't go great. We just keep it up for visitors now, but there's plenty to explore in the immediate area that we can magic back into business." A ⦿ Shipwreckers He goes on to explain that the fairies value items that were once lost and refound, so step one is exploring the shipwreck with fellow magic users to find what amounts to a scavenger hunt list of items from the ship. He sets everyone off with a quick spell that essentially transforms their clothing into swimsuits that best fit their preferences and personality-- that means no one's going to get a swimsuit that makes them horribly uncomfortable, he's not harassing anyone. After that, magicians will be directed to use their magic to get down to the ship. It's not as convenient as underwater breathing and not as easily sustainable, but there's definitely different ways to go about it. Light magic users will find they can create a forcefield above the surface of the water and go under the water, though they may run out of oxygen quickly. Elemental users can find they can create a similar bubble by pushing water out of the way, though may run into the same diminishing air without a more advanced elemental user already in the game who can pull oxygen out of the water or an alchemist who can create chemical reactions to generate oxygen. Animal mages may be able to convince local lake life to help push bubbles along, and healers will be instrumental in healing oxygen deprivation if anyone stays under too long! (Note: If two characters can't create a bubble, you can put in a third NPC to do the bubble while your characters handle other roles during the search.) No matter what, make sure you bring someone who can watch your back. Rumors have it that the Fuath are harassing anything that comes near the area. Fuath are intangible spirits that may present as giant humanoids at about 8-9 feet each, but with the mane and tail of a yellow horse, with no noses and keen eyes. They hold grudges against anyone who takes advantage of their surroundings, even if not their own, and will come to attempt to throw those who try to take from the ships and flying through the air to land somewhere else in the water. Be very cautious about using names around the Fuath, as though they do not speak in human tongue, they have a particular ability to draw people and animals in using names that makes them very difficult to escape once you've been found. They've been known to turn familiars against their partners. They can be deterred, dissipated through attack to buy you time, but they'll keep coming so get in and out of the ship as fast as you can and definitely stick to more combat-heavy magics like dark and cognitive mages! *Note: These magics are all examples of ways to use primary magic, but feel free to get creative with your character's magic if you think of something else! B ⦿ Hoist the Flags Once all the ingredients are gathered, the ritual is underway! With the mementos from the ship, swim to a protective circle formed at the top of the water by Merlin that will keep the Fuath out. There, you need to take whatever item you gathered from the ship and try to find someone with a similar item. This "sister" item will allow you to pull the essence of the item up from the ship. It takes a load of people to raise a whole ship, but pouring your magic into the item and chanting the spell will cause the ship to resurface and restore itself to its original state before the crash, using residual memories from all the different items on the ship. Of course, finding a partner with a matching item while swimming around could be a challenge, especially if you don't get along-- it may take a while for everyone to get on the same page. It certainly won't clean up all the algae and kelp and wayward flopping fish, it brings the ship back to a livable state.. and a much cooler, more explorable one. Get a quick exploration of the ship and help clean up some of the lake slime before Merlin flags over the traders. Or goof around until then, and learn a sick free spell called (Recipe) Cool Firework: create a rocket firework from your fingertips. Make sure you're aiming it into the sky when you cast this spell, or Merlin will set off a Camelot totem right beneath your feet. No sinking the ship when they just got it up. The fireworks will attract the Elphame Traders, who are leaving the day after they close up shop to head back to Elphame, before the set out to leave. Merlin negotiates offering the ship to them as an offering for Queen Elphame to give them permission to travel in the Elphame territory. At that point, the ship is pulled into the docks and Camelot citizens are ushered out for the fae traders to take over the ship. C ⦿ Beach Episode Once everything's said and done it.. really only took a couple of hours, so the whole group is done around 4pm. There's plenty of time left for dinner and a good time at the beach a short walk away from the docks and the sun doesn't go down until around 9pm. Before Merlin leaves everyone to themselves, he conjures up a buffet-style table with loads of fresh food and drink, watermelons and bats for smashing. The swimsuits provided earlier wear off at midnight, though you'll probably want to leave before then since it still gets chilly in the evening, especially if you're all wet from playing with the chest full of waterguns or the beach balls distributed around the beach. The docks are nearby, so feel free to call your friends over to come hang out with you, even if they didn't help. It's a beach party, enjoy it! SUMMARY: Unseelie faeries and unseemly humans have teamed up to kidnap a small number of otherworlders in the chaos of the trials to fight in an underground fight ring. Play as a victim or be part of the squad to put an end to it if you're more good-leaning, or villains can choose to participate as audience and pay for "gifts" to be given to their favorite fighters during matches. CW: These prompts contain kidnapping, illegal and forced fighting, and inhumane treatment of fighters. Just because people are tired doesn't mean that the world stops for them... crime certainly doesn't. Throughout the start of the month, people are going missing. Exactly what's happening.. well, finding the truth out about that is going to depend on your perspective. A ⦿ Cursed Kidnapees Kidnapping victims will find themselves suddenly blinded by a spell, and then chloroformed by a floating cloth pressed against their face. (Smart kidnappers don't touch their victims if they have magic, you know!) When they wake up, they'll find themselves in a dungeon with at least a dozen other people. There's definitely not room to lay down, and sitting down as you had been propped up immediately starts you with a potentially uncomfortable view. Don't worry, someone's peeks in from a window at the top of the room-- an extremely handsome-looking man with long, wavy hair and pupils slitted like a cat's. "Let's see.. You two, you'll be the first fight of the night. Winner gets dinner, gyahaha!" It's a fighting ring. You've been kidnapped into a fighting ring and there's no obvious escape! Fight against fellow captives and monsters for your dinner and to buy time to figure out what you're going to do... At least you start hand to hand, so there's nothing lethal... right? (See Audience for more details.) B ⦿ Audacious Audience Maybe you're a less scrupulous sort and saw an invitation to this event hidden on the dark web, or got invited by a particularly sketchy friend. Either way, you've got cage-side seats close enough to chat with either fellow audience members or interact with the cage fighters. As a bonus point, audience members can spend some of their G on betting or on purchasing "boons" for their favorite fighters, such as weapons or enhancement spells. They can also bid against other audience members for special sabotages that make it harder to fight-- foot weights, strange masks, roller skates, hinderance hexes.. get creative with it! It's the biggest fight show that you can interact with your wallet... newbies may find it's a very lucrative way to make a pretty penny very fast. (As always, remember to communicate with anyone you're helping/sabotaging so you don't go past anyone's OOC comfort level.) C ⦿ Roaring Rescuers Thankfully, the fae who want nothing more than to sow discord and the greedy humans who joined in their venture are a bit disorganized. Even the beginning-level heroes among us will be able to track them down and topple them with a little bar hopping to gather information from the locals. Eventually, one of them will give up having overheard some "scary looking fellows" talking about which of the patrons of the bar looked like they'd be good in a fight before getting extra hush-hush. Follow all the leads, and you'll find yourself at an outlying, smaller-scale castle with a dungeon tower and an underground fighting ring built beneath its floors. Sneak in and unlock individual fighter dungeon doors while the fights are providing a wealth of distraction. Maybe you'll find a grateful Fogueria who casts a temporary fire-immunity spell on you to allow you to do ride them into battle to bust up the fight going on right now. There's definitely gratitude going on, regardless of moral compass, and you may find gifts of food and drink (non-alcoholic if you're not old enough) placed at your door over the next week for your deeds. 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. • We are testing out formats for key points displays, to be voted on for player preference based on what seems to work best for the most people. The other options were used here (end of post summary format) and here (start of post preview format). The format featured on this post is the last option, which will provide small summaries under the banner of each prompt set. A poll will be put up before the next event to see which format will be used going forward, so please keep in the back of your mind which seems most comfortable/makes the content more easily accessible. •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

Beowulf | fgo

[beewulf]

A – The Caravan

[A large man, shirtless and covered in scars, sat at the mini bar, attempting to flip through his given phone. Or at least as best as he could. His large fingers were having some trouble typing on the screen. With a glass in his other hand, just as small as the phone, Beowulf takes a sip; gaze growing darker and more annoyed by the second. With a click of his tongue the sipping soon turns into a gulp before he quickly reaches out to grab a whole bottle.]

Was never good with these things.

B - Red Springs

[So these springs not only had good food, decent baths and beds, but also a place for people to train their bodies. Or at least that's what he thought when he first heard about the training grounds, imagine his disappointment when it was simply for people to learn the basics of this land's magic. While Beowulf certainly wasn't one to overlook the value of such things, magic had never been his strong suite. In fact if anything he would rather avoid such things all together.

Cursed as they are.

In any case he had quickly returned to the inn and made himself comfortable in one of the baths. Hopefully no one is startled by the giant, hulking and glowering man entering the springs. One that is very unintentionally giving off some pretty murderous vibes and looking like a deadly predator about ready to spring loose.]

Evening friend.

[Oh snap he's also talking to you, he's looking at you with eyes that are both menacing and looking like your his next meal!]

C - The Shipwreckers

Fie, nothing more than simple beasts to the slaughter.

[He grinned viciously as he wrapped his massive arms around one Fuath. It was as if he was swimming against Breca all over again. Facing off a sea of monsters seeking to rend their flesh from the men's very bones. Beowulf was never good with magic, never really had the time or understanding for its use. Not when a good sword or fist would do the job just as well.

With a grunt and snap the creature dissipated as he turned his gaze back towards his partner.]

Oi, you done?

D - Video

What sort of fun do you enjoy here? I've yet to find a bar that sells swill to my liking. Or anyone to match fists with. So tell me of yourselves and where you come from.

[He looks... decidedly bored as he takes a swig from a bottle.]

WILDCARD

[You know what this is.]

paimon | Genshin Impact | Kinetic & undecided

[notemergencyfood]

BEACH PARTY:

[After hours of trying to master the 'float' technique, Paimon finally gets the hang of this kinetic magic. No way she's adapting to walking, it's too much work! Even for Paimon's small legs! With the aroma of food in the air, that's enough to lift her spirit, or body, to the air. Free food and temporary free body starry swimsuit, no complains from Paimon. She can't complain if someone's feeding her some good stuff! Even though Merlin is giving the freebies. Not Merlin's fault she's here, not lake lady either.... maybe she will give this world an ugly name! CanterNAP.

Paimon floats around, savaging the buffet tables, picking out some simple appetizers like cookies from a jar- AND that Fish Toast?! Enjoy having a child size-like floating around and picking from under the arms because that's one of the best perks of being small.]

Hello~ Excuse me~ Paimon wants this one too!

[Another fun perk with kinetic magic, floating food off table. She's no Vision, but she likes this kind of magic.]

[Alternate B, Paimon discovers water gun. This place doesn't have a good size toy for her, it almost looks as if she's holding an oversize machine gun with sunglasses, yes sunglasses because it makes her look daring and cool. Still, it doesn't stop Paimon from the fun, and she will have to station herself on the ground first before firing.

First and most important, scouting for potential victims. Once she has her eyes on the prize, she positions herself on the ground, lifts the water gun up and WHOOOSH! Hugs that trigger for dear life to fire away!]

Got you now!

[This is the best invention. Ever.]

B

[rotacalamitas]

[Bennett had been minding his own business on the beach, trying to keep out of other people's way and not to let his bad luck ruin anybody's fun, while still managing to enjoy himself.

...it was hard.

But where there's a will, there's a way, and there's always a way for his bad luck to strike. And in this case, it was Paimon spraying him with her water gun.]

H-hey! I wasn't even playing!

[It's a good thing they were on the beach, so at least getting wet wasn't the worst thing in the world.]

[notemergencyfood]

[Of course the person her gun snags is the most unlucky person she knows well. Paimon shifts her huge water gun to one side, her head peeking out, uh-oh.]

Ah- Sorry Bennett. Paimon didn't see you. But most importantly--! Why not? You get to aim water at people. You pew pew pew! And WAM! Water SPLAT! Besides, your elemental is fire isn't it? You can super duper dry yourself off!

[Paimon, what are you suggesting??? She seems so confident, while grounded, and it feels so weird looking up at him.]

Alternate B

[concierto]

[Oh, does the little floating cupcake think she can one-up Venti, a sharpshooter himself? Think again- As soon as he senses that she's nearby and aiming right for the back of his head Venti dodges with a swift roll to the right and lands with the grace of the wind.

And he cocks his own water gun, aiming and shooting with deadly precision right at the open target in return. Get wrecked!!]

Ehe, who's got who?! You're more mouse than cat.

A~

[slightestcut]

[At least the food was good, she figured, filling her plate with one piece of food after another. Things she had never heard of or smelled before filled her senses with their glorious, beckoning scent.

She especially couldn't wait to try that fish dish right there. Reaching for it she soon found, much to her annoyance, that it was floating away from her as a small... thing that just presumably called herself "Paimon" swooped in and snagged it.

Honestly she looks more like an emergency ration than anything. Swiftly Zheng reaches out to snag it and place it on her plate! No small troll was going to get the better of her!]

That wasn't a very polite thing to do. [Says the scary lady who just reached to snag it from the hands of a small Paimon.]

Denki Kaminari/MHA/Elemental+Death, Koto Furunushi

[wattlimit]

i.

[It's freezing.

That's the first thing Denki notices when he hits the water. The second, is the feeling of something desperately crawl up his back onto his head to stay above the water. He can't see what's on top of his head, but he can tell whatever it is, it's most likely an animal. Unbeknownst to him, it's his familiar, which is the size of a small dog in his case.

Luckily, Denki's a pretty good swimmer and even though he has literally no clue what's going on, he's a hero in training.]

Don't worry little dude, I'll get you to safety!

[Still no idea what kind of animal has chosen him as their taxi for today, Denki starts to swim across to the nearest shore.

It doesn't take too long for him to get across, but with extra weight he's absolutely wiped by the time he gets to the sands. He practically lets the waves sweep him to them, his arms giving out when he is gently deposited by the water onto the sand. For now, he lays in a starfish formation with his head in the sand, taking a moment to rest.

You might hear a soft song playing if you're near him, as his little "dude" sits on his back and plays to try and wake Denki back up.]


ii. on the network, on the way there

USERNAME: CHARGEBOLT

heyyy my name is kaminari denki

i dont rly understand whats going on so i have some questions for anyone who wants 2 answer! ready? ok!!





question one: what the hell

wildcard

[im sorry theres only two prompts! i havent rped in over a year so im a little rusty. if you want to get in contact with me, feel free to dm!!]

un: deku

[fullgauntlet]

[If it wasn't for that username- that name!]

Kaminari-kun?! It's Midoriya! Are you alright?!

... It's-

There's a lot going on! But try not to get overwhelmed, there's a lot of people from our class here!

ii | un: bakugou

[apshot]

You don't really understand grammar either.

un: !!!RIOT!!!

[machismost]

YO ITS ME BRO ITS KIRISHIMA!!! WHERE ARE YOU??!??!

un: epjack

[eardrums]

you really couldn't be assed to listen to anyone's explanations, huh
well, you're lucky yaomomo and midoriya are here. they can probably make it easy to follow

so for now, what're you stuck with? what's your familiar?

ii. - 1/2

[floatsaway]

[Lucky for Kaminari, that with summer in full swing, Ochako's been down to the beach more often than usual. Working out and running on the shore was great exercise, and trained her body well. Plus, she could also cool off and go swimming when she got a bit overheated. And, she could work on getting a bit more sun, too. This time around, however, her familiar - a white dire wolf the size of a large draft horse - was with her as well. Aludra normally wouldn't follow after Ochako, but she'd been absent a few days and usually when she got back from those wanderings...well. The wolf was always at Ochako's hip.

And thank goodness, because it's the wolf that hears the music first, one ear flicking and head lifting up as she makes a soft noise.]

Eh? Aludra-san, what's--oh my gosh!!

[Was that someone on the shore?! Were they okay, di-did they need help?! Oh no, oh no--! Hurrying over as fast as she can, Ochako quickly turns the person over and--holy shit.]

K-Kaminari-kun?! Ah, K-Kaminari-kun, can you hear me?! Wake up! Oh, please be okay... [What if he came from some kind of battle where he was at in time before? What if he had been drowning?! Mildly panicking, Ochako does the first thing that comes to mind, going into full Hero Mode. She takes a deep breath, leans forward and close to her friend's face...]

Option 1 -- FYI: He's anime-canon and not updated to current arc yet, but I'm a manga reader

[heart_demands]

Well that was hard to watch.

[ Shinsou speaks as he is descending from the sky because he was practicing his Telekinesis magical flying. He's not stellar at it yet, but he can descend in a straight line down a whole lot better than he can ascend. From that high in the air, all he saw was a bunch of splashing water, but even if he'd seen the blonde hair, he wouldn't have recognized Kaminari, and he doesn't the closer he gets to the beach either. ]

Thought I was gonna have to drag another person to shore.

[ And then, when he lands on the sand, he stares pointedly at the very hairy thing near the young man with a very WTF sort of eyebrow raise. ]

un: Creati (I'm very happy to see you here!!!)

[recommendations]

Kaminari-san, you may have to be a little more specific with your questions, if you want someone to give you an actual answer...

i. ew its u

[devilsfootprints]

[Getting to shore was no easy task, especially while he was still in his full Fire Soldier gear. He made it though. Somehow. Now, he just needs to get up the cliff as instructed to find out what the hell is going on (he's not looking forward to climbing those steps in his waterlogged gear). But before he manages to leave the beach, he comes across someone sprawled across the sand. Thankfully, it seems like he's still alive.

The thing that makes Shinra pause though, is whatever's sitting on top of the boy. He's never seen anything like it before and it seems to be making music??? Is it even supposed to be there?

He crouches down to gingerly shake the boy's shoulder to wake him, making sure he's an arm's length away since he's not sure if he should get too close to the music playing thing.]

Uhhh... you okay? You got a thing on you.

Achilles | Hades | this is so late and i should be asleep rn

[fearisfortheweak]

Arrival

[When the majority of your time as a Shade is spent standing guard within your lord's house, to find oneself suddenly submerged is quite jarring indeed.

When he breaches the surface, his arm comes up to shield his eyes. A brightness like that can't be mistaken, no matter how long it's been since he's last experienced it.

It takes awhile for his eyes to accommodate— long enough for a giant pillow jelly to inflate underneath him. After some soft words and a gesture of appreciation, as well as a gathering of his bearings, he makes his way for the shore.

Once he's on solid ground, any nearby are given a nod, perhaps a singular soft-spoken word of greeting. His gaze lingers a little longer on some than others, though not for more than a couple seconds.

All the beasts don't escape his notice, and he looks over as a violet-green swallow descends upon his shoulder.

He murmurs:]

How curious.

The Red Spring

[What will rapidly become apparent to the person roomed with him is that Achilles is not the slightest bit familiar with modern technology.

His spear is set next to one of the beds, and... yeah, there's no move to interact with anything in the room beyond some staring and maybe a furrowed brow.

Actually, he'll be seated on the bed, a look of intense concentration on his face as he stares down at his smart phone. The earbuds are hanging just inside his ear, causing them to fall out now and then. He sort of fumbles them back on, balancing them precariously, before he returns to the phone. He taps at his device slowly, with great purpose, and a lot of confusion.

... help him...]

Captured

[Seems like waking up in unexpected places is the name of the game lately. He'd been thankful the first time around when the setting he'd appeared in seemed rather peaceful and civilized. After all, it was just as easy to end up in a less than hospitable situation... as the case seemed to be now.

Though calm and steady as ever, there's no mistaking the tension in his form and the disapproving edge to his mouth. It's once the man disappears briefly that he lets out a low breath, turning his gaze upon his "opponent". He speaks only as loud as he has to be heard by them, his tone carrying a gentle reassurance:]

Don't worry about me; I've been through much worse.

Wildcard

[HMU via pm or Ruipressed#4474 on Disco!]

Arrival; /EYES EMOJI/

[inevitablerest]

[He comes down to the shore when the new arrivals are unceremoniously dumped into the water because lending assistance to those confused and wary souls who wander cold and dripping wet onto the sand gives him a sense of purpose that's pleasantly familiar.

What he doesn't expect is to find someone whose face and bearing as as familiar to him as anyone he might call family or friend in the House of Hades. He stares for a moment in surprise before he approaches, leaving shallow footprints in the sand behind him.]

Achilles.

[Yes, there's no mistaking the man. Thanatos speaks his name gently, with the respect it deserves, and hopefully his presence isn't too... unsettling.]

Captured | !!! :D

[bloodandlife]

[It’s dim, here in the crowded cage, filled with shadows. Which is why Zagreus can’t quite make out what this fellow looks like, this opponent of his. Doesn’t matter, though - he’s done this a few times already, he knows how it goes.

But then the man speaks, and the voice is so familiar that for a moment Zagreus thinks he must have imagined it.

He replies in a similarly quiet voice, though the surprise is evident in it.]

Achilles, sir? That can’t be you, can it?

arrival; !!!!

[verytired]

[ Hypnos doesn't like things that require a lot of effort; however, between his magic and the transportation services here, he managed to make it to the beach where they were, and he summons his familiar. The two of them familiar enough that Hypnos has been able to lounge against it. He kicks up one leg but then notices someone - well, hears someone very familiar behind him. He jerks upright, finally standing (though still slouching) to face the man. ]

Right? This place is completely strange. But you'll get used to it pretty fast. It's been awhile, it seems like.

[ Maybe not for Achilles, though. ]

The Red Spring

[slightestcut]

[She had chosen a room by complete random and was not adverse to kicking someone out should they decide that they didn't like her presence; or maybe vice versa. The bandit was far too tired to properly care at the moment and had more than a few things on her mind as she entered the room.

Sharp eyes first landed on the spear next to the bed before moving towards the presumed owner himself. Sizing him up and idly fingering the axes she held at her belt. It was probably good, she thought to herself, that he was distracted for the moment. Then again something about the man told her that, distracted or not, he would put up more than just a little bit of a fight.

It was a feeling that almost reminded her of Lu Bu.

She moved slowly, keeping her eyes on Achilles.]

...What's bothering you?

Yuzuha Shiba | Tokyo Revengers | Kinetic magic!

[silentprotector]

SOAKING IN YOUR ARRIVAL

[ Well, this is certainly one way to wake up.

Yuzuha’s heart races in her chest as she pushes her head above the water, spluttering and heaving for air as she just about breaks the surface. Her mind is racing, too, and she begins to tread water instinctively, the adrenaline in her body just enough to distract her from the cold of the water for now. The last thing she remembers is having fallen asleep at her house. So how did she end up underwater? Is somebody trying to kill her?

Her throat tightens at the sudden thought – and she begins to panic. That has to be what it is, right? It doesn’t make any sense otherwise. Heart pounding, and gritting her teeth, Yuzuha starts to look around wildly – but what she sees isn’t what she expects.

There’s… jellyfish? Giant ones, all around her, and for a moment as she stares at them she’s convinced she’s in a dream. She’s never seen anything like this before. There’s other people swimming to shore, too – a lot of them, actually. What exactly is going on here?

Eventually, she manages to swim to where the lake meets the land, and pulls herself out of the water, absolutely soaked. The first thing she does is look around and ask the person closest to her- ]

Hey… do you know what’s going on here?

CARAVAN TO CAMELOT

[ At first, once they tell her what she’s doing here, Yuzuha’s convinced it’s a joke. She laughs in Archimedes’ face, and makes it quite clear how pissed off she is that someone would throw her into a fucking lake for a joke like that.

Once she sees her first demonstration of magic, though, well. That very quickly shuts her up.

Now, she’s sitting in the caravan, practically shell-shocked. It’s a lot to take in, okay? Everything she ever thought she knew about life has totally been flipped on its head, and she can still barely believe that this is really happening. She has to save the world? Everyone’s in danger? It sounds ridiculous, but it’s no joke. …God, she just wants a break.

She misses Hakkai more than anything. Mitsuya, too. He’d know what to do in this situation. Instead, she’s completely on her own. Hakkai must be worried sick about her… and there’s no way he can cope back home all by himself. Though... according to what she's been told, they're frozen in time, aren't they? Stuck back home, not knowing a thing about what's going on.

Still. Maybe she just hasn’t seen them yet?

Yuzuha takes her new smartphone out of her pocket and sends a message out to everyone on the network. It can’t hurt, right? ]

Hey. This is Yuzuha Shiba. Has anyone heard from or seen Hakkai Shiba around? He's my brother.

[ It's short and simple, but it'll do. ]

WILDCARD

[ Feel free to throw anything at Yuzuha here! Her secondary magic type and familiar are still undecided at the moment, but let me know if there's anything you want to play out! ]

Arrival

[slightestcut]

Do I look like someone who would, girl?

[She growls at her, busily taking off her now water clogged shoes. It was going to take forever and day to get her stuff dry. The heat sure didn't help either Zheng noted with further annoyance as she swept dripping hair back out of her face.]

Who's asking anyway?

Zheng Jiang | TW : Three Kingdoms | Healing/Elemental

[slightestcut]

1- Caravan

She was still more than peeved, Zheng was furious. Absolutely and completely livid; her scared face peeled back in a sneer no matter where she looked. Vicious, mean like the she-wolf that walked along beside her in spite of her small size. The weather was still awful, she was still far from home in some barbarian land filled with strange men claiming magical talents and surrounded by those who knew just a little as she. The caveat of it all was that she at least had her possessions back. Her precious axes were strapped securely to her sides, while her hair was done up once more in its usual mess. Held together with her equally precious, jade hair pins.

It certainly didn’t help that her precious few belongings were carelessly thrown into a container labeled a “shit box”.

In short, she very much preferred the company of the horses to that of the other people around her and could be found patting the creatures and feeding them carrots and fruit that she had snuck out from the carriage and elsewhere. “At the very least a horse would never try to back you in the corner like a rat.”

She grumbled to herself in a harsh, hoarse tone. More accustomed to yelling out commands and out of anger.

2- Exercise the Body and the Mind

She had had enough of sitting around and needed to take a moment to process everything that she had learned thus far while also letting off some steam. Traveling to the training grounds when she was sure no one was around, Zheng Jiang went through the motions with her axes. Her face was calm and focused as she moved, step by step with practiced ease. The area was certainly more meant for practicing magic, sure. But she doubted anyone would complain to her about using it for a bit of exercise and meditation.

She rolled, swerved, kicked, and punched at imaginary foes. Despite the twin blades in both hands looking quite heavy for a woman no more than around 5 feet tall. As graceful as her movements might appear on the surface there was also a certain, hidden animalistic anger to them, something the belied her current, calm and thoughtful look.

3- Night in Camelot city

The night was decidedly much more comfortable than the day. Cool air comforting her and calming her general wroth. That’s not to say that the Bandit Queen wasn’t still put off by her sudden, rude arrival. Just calmed for the moment. She leaned back against the wall, looking up into the night sky in wonder at the difference in the stars. Truly a strange land she had found herself in. If she had been anywhere else then she might have decided it would be a good time to enjoy some wine.

But not right now. Not after she had been spirited away from her ambitions and plopped in the middle of strangers. Zheng Jiang was far too paranoid for something like that, too worried and uncomfortable to imbibe in drink. Such a thing would only slow her down when she needed to give her top performance.

Just in case.

Her axes were still at her side, and the lights from the building and moon cast dark shadows over her face. Once pretty, perhaps, now torn and scarred from years of abuse and conflict. Movement caught her eyes and she followed it, hands going to the hilt of her axes.

A precaution.

“What are you skulking around for like a thief in the night.” It was a demand, not a question.

4- Obligatory Network Post / Video / un; Zheng

What a curious and useful device to have. To communicate over great distances at the touch of a finger would certainly have many… uses

[She smiled, almost ominously so as she said that. Just what sort of difference could a pair of smartphones make in shaping the outcome of history? Lady Jiang certainly did not miss out or overlook its potential. Nevertheless she sat back in her chair, wicked scars curling up with evident and cruel depths as she let the thought play around inside her mind.]

For those that have yet to meet me, I am Zheng Jiang. The bane of the Deceitful Cao Cao and Foolish Liu Bei. Nightmare of Liu Zhen, Defiler of the corrupt Han and Queen of Bandits.

[Her voice sounded conversational, even as her smile grew with each mention.]

Tell me about yourselves.

[WILDCARD]

[You know what this is. I'm more than ready and willing to play things by the ear if you want to do something else other than what's listed.]

lee jongdae | the secret world + ryslig crau (oc) | alchemy + blood

[itsjiaheng]

① ARRIVAL

[ usually the sensation of falling is a recoverable sort of situation, because he usually has wings. after all, he'd specifically requested that mana 1. let him keep his wings and 2. be cute. because cuteness is important, thank you very much.

judging by the fact that he hits the water seconds later, the only wings he possesses are of the phantom sensation variety. thankfully, one of the jellies is there to collect him before his awkward flailing causes him to sink too deep beneath the surface and he clings as best he can to the creature as it gently ferries him to shore.

but wait he's supposed to have gone home and there's no such thing as giant jellyfish where he's from... this is some other weird place, isn't it? ]

Ah, shit, here we go again...

② THE CARAVAN TO CAMELOT

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS!!!

[ what's all that yelling? considering jongdae is waving his hands in the air above his head and jumping up and down it's plainly obvious who's responsible. on the ground, a tiny, well-dressed white dog is running around him in circles and yappy barking, as toy doggos are wont to do.

and then, he sinks down to his knees as if he might start praying. the puppy takes this opportunity to try and catch one of his tails because he has those. it might seem like he has three, but it's simply three-pronged, although unless one looks at how they come together closer to his body can anyone really tell? most people will probably notice how long and furry they are instead. or how about his ears? eventually, he turns around and picks up the dog to set her in his lap as he settles back to sit on his heels. ]

Real smartphones?! Technology that doesn't suck?! ... Seriously, what's the catch? I'm never this lucky.

[ he is still at least part-monster, so he's not exactly lucky in that regard, although considering what he's used to he can work with this. ]

③ THE RED SPRING

[ after all the excitement of getting here, it's nice to relax and have a little quiet time, so he's opted to walk his dog. while the puppy sniffs around some rocks and bushes, jongdae is squatting nearby, heels planted on the ground and his arms resting on his knees as he plays around on his phone and the tips of his tail keep twitching back and forth.

his ears swivel forward and he looks up as his dog start barking at something. the first thing he sees are a pair of shadowy looking talons before his eyes follow to see what they're connected to and he finds himself face-to-face with the empty, white-eyed stare of something that looks vaguely bird-like? maybe kinda wyvern-y if you squint?

a second later he topples back, tripping over his own feet (and tails) to try to put some distance between himself and the creature, which only tilts its head curiously. jongdae looks all around because surely someone is seeing this, right? ]

Hey! You! You can see this thing, right? Like it's here? It's really-real? Like—... asking for a friend.

[ not that saying that in this context makes any sense, but he doesn't care. getting to his feet, he holds both his hands out, palms up and closes his eyes like he's expecting something. after about ten seconds of this, he cracks open one eye again. ]

Well, I don't hear any weird whispers or anything, so that's a good sign, right? That what I just did there doesn't mean anything, I just thought it looked cool.

④ WILDCARD

[ ooc; anything else? hmu @ koutenko for plotting and such! jongdae's familiar is called a bird of the zero point pathogen and is a particular enemy from the secret world mmo. ]

① ARRIVAL (ryslig cr au)

[kokuryuu]

[Souma is lying on the beach face-down like a piece of smelly old washed-up seaweed. Flies are beginning to land on him and a seagull is picking at his hair as another watches in preparation to do the same. His black hair, long in the back and intertwined with strands of sea plants, has come unbound (thanks to the seagull, perhaps) and is plastered to his back.

The homespun white buttoned shirt he is wearing is torn, the right sleeve, the collar, and part of the left shirttail lost somewhere in the sea-- did a shark bite that off? It sure looks like it. The pants, close-fitting brown hide pants he uses for outdoor work or physical training, are sopping wet and slung low about the waist. There is a thin gold chain around his neck that glints against his tanned skin in the afternoon sun. If someone looks closely, the edges of his dragon-shaped curse mark at his shoulder and neck can be glimpsed where the collar ripped away.

His bare right arm seems to be twitching slightly, as though it wants him to wake up. His black horse ears are drooping to the sand. There is a black pooling substance in the sand beneath him. It wavers slightly as Jongdae and Sana come closer, almost like someone beckoning with a finger or a tail.

Is he breathing? It's hard to tell. But he does have a pulse, however faint.]