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

[starshower]

[This is probably child's play in comparison to the other games that the Japanese like to play on TV... She wonders if Gaia's got anything like this...

But Tifa's smile is a touch more enthusiastic now. She hadn't thought of trying it herself, but along with someone else?]

What's the harm? I mean, it could be fun...

[The next attempt is indeed two people, one with a blindfold and the other guiding them to the watermelon and spinning them around a few times like this is a pinata at a kid's birthday party. The first swing comes but misses, and the unblindfolded one tries to guide them in the right direction.]

And it looks like we could work as a team, too.

[bravesteps]

Yeah. Let's try it, then.

[ what's the harm, indeed. it's not like she could accidentally clock someone with a baseball bat, right?? and she's been.. trying to be a little more outgoing, a little more friendly on her own terms, not in trying to be like her sister. in trying to be like herself.

making friends had never been easy for sumire, but recently, it has seemed a little simpler, no thanks to the phantom thieves. she wouldn't have tried this alone, but with this nice person to help? anyway, she gets to get feet, brushing sand off of her butt. ]

Let's go!

[starshower]

[Tifa's right behind her, urging the both of them closer to the front as the host calls out for his next challenger, rolling up another large melon onto the makeshift stage.]

"Who's up next!? Someone? Anyone? How about you?" [He points to someone else in the crowd, but they politely decline, which has him looking around again. The moment his eyes land on Tifa's, she points down at the Yoshizawa's head.]

I've got your next one right here!

"Oh, the red lady? Come on up, miss! Show us what you're made of!"

You know how to swing one of those things, right? Show 'em how it's done?

[bravesteps]

[ OH NO she had definitely been hoping it would be tifa doing the whacking here, and sumire's face flushes almost as red as her hair. ]

Wait - m-me?

[ but it's too late to back out now.. she's already committed!! be brave, sumire. you can do this for sure. it'll be fine. you definitely won't back someone's brains in by accident. she's played baseball once or twice for PE in school, so at least she knows how to hold a bat and swing it without letting go, so there's.. that. ]

Okay.. yeah.. it's fine! I got this!

[ someone approaches her with a blindfold. she's totally.. got this. ]

[starshower]

Yeah, you!

[Tifa's hands finds her shoulders, and guides Sumire to the podium where one of the largest fruits she's ever seen awaits, and where she's given the blindfold. From what she's witnessed so far, some people choose to go up alone while others in pairs, with one person there to help spin them and make sure they aren't swinging in the host's direction.]

Besides, this is a two-person job. I'll be there to guide you, make sure we get this. Been eyeing those melons all day. Need help with the blindfold?

[bravesteps]

N-no, I got it! It's fine!

[ it's totally fine, everything is fine, she isn't nervous at all!! sumire gulps and lifts the blindfold, tying it over her eyes and beneath her ponytail, tugging it tightly until she can't see anything at all save for a thin strip of unhelpful light.

sumire reaches forward expectantly, waiting for the bat. ]

Okay.. ready!

[ she sucks in a deep breath!! ]

[starshower]

[Tifa's the one who hands over the bat, grabbing her gently by the wrist and guiding it into her hands, making sure that her fingers are nice and tight around it just to be safe. Not that she doesn't trust Sumire to hold onto it, but the lack of sight really can be disorienting in a lot of ways.

Her voice remains gentle, encouraging, beside her.]

I've gotta spin you around a few times first.

[And so she does just that, hands on Sumire's shoulders now as she twirls the girl around three times until she stops with her facing the melon.]

Take a deep breath, and put it into your swing. You're good to go.

[bravesteps]

[ being blindfolded really is more disorienting than one might think, especially once tifa spins her about a few times - by the time she stops sumire has lost track of the melon entirely, even if she's sure she must be facing it. she has no idea if it's a little to the left, or a little to the right, or how far ahead of her it is..

tightening her grasp on the bat, sumire takes a step forward. at the very least she knows how to swing a baseball bat without throwing it, thanks to PE and her own general athletic skill, but she's not confident she won't bash someone on the head.

tifa's voice is gentle, however, and something about her is just innately trustworthy. she's got big mom energy!! ]

O-okay.. I'm ready! Where is it?

[starshower]

[Tifa's silent behind her for a moment while she measures it out with her own feet.]

Little to your left. Turn maybe half a step. Then swing with everything you've got!

[She's pretty sure Sumire will hit the nail right on the head.

The crowd waits with bated breath, anticipation buzzing in the silence around them, and even Tifa is inhaling deep and holding onto it until she hears either the smack of the bat against the floor or the crack of a melon...]

[bravesteps]

[ to the left. half a step. okay! sumire shuffles in the sand and steels herself, raising the bat high and... !

thump.

it strikes the sand just to the left of the melon. at least she didn't throw the bat, but it isn't quite a strike, either.. hmph! ]

[starshower]

[She might have overshot it, but it's fine! Tifa even manages a laugh from behind Sumire. She's not entirely sure if it's against the rules, but she makes some very subtle movements to bump the girl's feet to the right an inch or two, hoping that this will line her up better with the fruit.

Is it cheating if no one notices...?]

It's okay. Got a couple more tries before your turn's up.

[No pressure! That's the mood she's trying to go for, but she can't tell if she's doing a good job with it.]

[bravesteps]

[ it probably is cheating, but sumire doesn't really know the rules anyway, so since they don't get chastised she'll just have to assume that it's okay! anyway, she realigns and... !

misses again spectacularly!!

with a soft groan, she lifts the bat from the sand, and there's a small flash of panic in the back of her mind, worry that she's making a fool of herself, that she looks stupid and everyone is laughing at her - there's a brief moment where she almost runs.

but no, she made a promise to herself. to herself, and to her friends. even though it's just a stupid watermelon game, she won't run away!! gritting her teeth, sumire lifts the bat one more time and...!

crack! pow, right in the kisser. the watermelon kisser. ]

[starshower]

[Tifa is patient, waiting quietly even after she misses a second time. She has one more go, and this'll be the one! She's sure of it!! And lo and behold...

The moment the bat meets the watermelon, the resounding crack is immediately followed by the crowd erupting in cheers. The bits and pieces of its pink insides spray everywhere, coating Sumire and Tifa head to toe and spreading out over the crowd, though they don't seem to mind.

While Sumire's blindfold is still on, a watermelon-covered Tifa throws her arms around the girl's shoulders from behind.]

You did it!

[bravesteps]

Yeah!

[ tifa isn't the only one cheering; sumire offers a cry of cheer as well, pumping her free hand high into the air. honestly, she really hadn't expected that she would manage it, so she's just as surprised as she is delighted. there's watermelon everywhere but that's the point, isn't it? they can always swim it off in the lake.

for now, she just turns and holds out the bat. ]

Is it your turn now?

[starshower]

[Tifa's picking up pieces of the watermelon—the ones that can be saved thanks to the outer shell—and holds one out for Sumire to take. A piece of her victory, and her prize! Fresh, juicy watermelon!]

You think I can do it? You'll have to have my back if I do. But first...

[She gestures to the fruit in her hand.]

Try a bite.

[bravesteps]

Of course you can do it!

[ if sumire can do it, anyone can, and this woman seems remarkably capable.. maybe it's just her mom energy, sumire doesn't know the first thing about her really, aside from the fact that she's wonderfully kind. but still, if she can do it, tifa sure can too!!

but first - watermelon. she's absolutely right. it's kinda pulverized, and there's some sand stuck on the rind, but that's probably fine. she accepts the hunk with a bright smile and takes a big, juicy bite. it's so refreshing on such a warm day.. ]

Mmm..!

[starshower]

[Tifa's brushing the sand off of her own somewhat-clean piece that she's picked up and follows Sumire's bite with her own. It's unexpectedly sweet, and so juicy that some drips down her chin, but she doesn't seem to mind all that much. Midgar had fruits and vegetables, but it all felt so tainted by mako... by the pollution of the Planet that it just never tasted as good as she remembered it being in Nibelheim.

She takes a moment to savour and remember it, as if this will be the last time she ever does. You never know. It could be!

As she catches more of the juice on her chin, she laughs.]

Gosh, I haven't had stuff this fresh in a long time. This is great...! Makes me wanna go take another dip in the water.

[bravesteps]

Oh, no?

[ yeah, sumire is a city girl too, and city vegetables are nothing like good fresh country stuff, but i'm still willing to wager that it's a hell of a lot better than whatever midgar has to offer.. poor tifa.

sumire smiles broadly, swallowing her own mouthful and rubbing the juice from her chin with the back of her hand. it's very impolite, but there's no real polite or un-messy way to eat watermelon. ]

That's the best way to wash off the juice, after all!

pushing to a wrap if that's ok! 💞

[starshower]

How about we go take a swim then? Take some of these pieces with us.

[And maybe grab a few other fruits from the buffet on the way there! It's only going to get hotter from here, and the watermelon challenge is going to be here for a while yet.]

We can come back after and see if I can smash a melon, too.

sounds great to me!!

[bravesteps]

Okay!

[ she's DOWN, especially now that she's in such a great mood. it took her a few tries, but she succeeded in smashing the melon, which is way more than she had expected of herself. maybe it was just a silly watermelon smashing contest, but.. it still feels nice to have done something right.

leaning to swipe another sandy slice, sumire begins to jog toward the coast, by way of the buffet table. ]

I'll race you!