There is no trial version. We're working on showcases for each mod.
You can't "try it out" because it's not a product to be bought. It's a donation to support the development, and you gain some extra perks from it.
You can't install that old of a version. To use OptiFine with Aristois on 1.12.2 you must run forge.
Install 1.12.2 forge, then run the installer and select "1.12.2" and "forge modloader" and then place Optifine 1.12.2 in your /mods/ folder. Then run Forge from the launcher.
Tested with a bow like mentioned and it works 100% as intended, even without slowdown and whilst jumping and moving. Maybe a short video recording would help explain what you are meaning.
Our fastest donor support is by email. Please log in to https://aristois.net and then download the donor client from the download page. If you need further help, please email us with your paypal email and your username.